Many years ago, I learned that traveling, like life, is all about the journey. Each journey is composed of a series of unique and different moments. I believe the key to a successful voyage is being able to live in those moments; live in those moments without the expectation of what the next moment may bring; live each of those moments as if you will never get them back (because you won't).
Over time, even the most hard learned lessons are forgotten. Many times in my life, I have forgotten the lesson of living in the moment. Somehow, each time that happened, something would occur or some person would come along and reaffirm the lesson to me.
About five years ago I met Keith Sherman. Keith was a master of living in the moment. I never once heard him express concern about what would happen next. Many times, I suspected that Keith was down to his last dollar, but he never seemed to be worried about that. He just lived his life, moment by moment. At times he seemed scattered but I realized that his mind was working so fast that whatever moment I thought he was in, he had already moved on.
His journey was far different from anyone I have ever met. He was a
traveler in more ways than one. He loved
journeying abroad and we had many long chats about our travels. He was constantly on a journey to gain more knowledge. He was well read. He knew a lot about music and art. He was a joy to
talk to about practically any topic you could think of. He was an adventurous cook, a writer, an artist, and a
very classy guy. He was a gentle spirit, a sensitive man, a renaissance man. Most importantly he was a good friend.
Keith died today. His death, along with the death of several good friends in the past few months, reinforced the lessons of my travels. It is not about the goal. It is not about the destination. It is about the moments that make up our journey; our travels
through space, life and time.
