In conjunction with my other post about things I won’t miss when I leave, I decided to mention a few things that I will definitely have a hard time leaving behind. I’ve omitted the usual things such as friends, family, favourite hang-outs, air conditioning etc. This is because it can be assumed that they are what I would miss most. I love my family, my friends are amazing, and sometimes I feel like I need air conditioning more than I need food. Here’s a few more things that I’m going to have a bit of difficulty doing without.
Our Cats
I’m going to get quite gushy about our cats in this section. I make no apologies. For those of you who don’t like cats and scoff at the idea of being attached to a feline companion, all you need to remember is that they are our pets. If you have a pet that you love, it doesn’t matter what it is, what it looks like, or what other people think about it. You love them. That’s all you need to understand in order for this to be relatable.
Adele is my baby, my little “deli”, my beautiful girl. I will miss her rubbing her face all over me in the morning (even after she’s been fed), I’ll miss her waiting for me to look before she leaps and claws her way up telegraph poles and trees, I’ll miss the intense but playful kitty bat fights she has Soufflé. Adele has always firmly been my cat. I’ve had four other cats who I have loved, but she has always been mine, and I’ve always been her owner. I’m hugely grateful to my Aunt (who already has two kittens) for looking after her for me and providing Adele with a loving home, but I’ll miss my beautiful girl terribly.
The Soof: what can I say? He’s a beast. He’s the most apathetic cat you’ll ever meet. He just doesn’t care about anything. I once watched him walk into the bathroom, pee on the bath mat, walk out of the bathroom, step on a cockroach, smack our roommates fluffy white puppy in the face, and then eat the puppy’s food. He is a boss, a bro cat. He sits on your leg when you’re watching movies, he licks you when you scratch the base of his tail, and if you ever leave any piece of technology lying around, you can guarantee that he’ll sit on it. Soufflé and Adele are exact opposites. She’s a nimble, speedy, ninja of a cat and he’s a lumbering, rotund beast. His clumsiness, affectionate disposition and general champion nature are a constant source of entertainment for me. I’ve never met a cat with as much character as the Soof, and I’m unlikely to ever again.
Being around people who speak English fluently
This is going to be a bit of a hurdle for me to get over. I love immersing myself in different cultures and relish the challenge of travelling through a country with a different language, but I’m going to miss having proper conversations in English. I’m lucky that I have Jo to accompany me throughout my journey, but it’s inevitable that we will meet people who speak English as a second language. This means stunted conversation, lots of misunderstandings, having to repeat myself constantly, a lot of jokes flying over heads, and frequent awkward silences. In the end, I’ll adjust to speaking simplified English quite quickly, I always do, but I’ll miss not having to worry if who I’m talking to can understand me.
Familiarity
“Say goodbye to everything you know,”. This is what I think every time I start to ponder our future travels. We are travelling to new destinations, in unfamiliar countries, filled with people we do not know, whilst experiencing the exact opposite of our current circumstance. It’s exactly what I want, but that doesn’t mean I’ll miss the feeling of knowing. I know Brisbane. There is very rarely anything in Brisbane that I consider to be new to me. This is precisely the reason I need to get out. However, there will be times that I wish I knew exactly how to get somewhere, where to eat, what to do, and I will inevitably long for that feeling of familiarity. Thankfully, from what I remember of my previous travels, the need for something constant is quickly forgotten as I immerse myself into my new surroundings.
My Bed
Oh Lordy, my bed is amazing. Many plans have been cancelled after I’ve laid down on my bed. I seem lose all will to do anything other than soak up the softness and warmth. I can become quite agitated if I need to leave my cocoon of comfort more than once throughout the night. Once I’m in my bed, it’s very difficult to coax me out of it. Some might call it a temporary state of depression, I refer to it as mattress hedonism. I know that there will be many uncomfortable sleeping situations during our travels. I can only hope that I soon forget the loving embrace of my bed and learn to adapt to the inadequate sleeping arrangements I am sure to encounter. That being said, I feel that as long as I have access to a hammock wherever I go, I will never be left in want of my old bed.
Watching Movies (In bed)
I mentioned in another post that I was looking forward to shedding most of my habits and old routines. There is one routine that I’d love to keep if it didn’t take away from our travels. Watching movies in bed. I’m a huge movie buff. I’ll watch pretty much any movie, except for “The Notebook” (for reasons that are different from what most people assume). I look forward to coming home, cooking dinner, getting into bed and eating whilst enjoying a new cinematic offering. This is a habit I will have to quash once we are on the road. I want to live in the moment. I can watch movies anywhere, at any time, and I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to do amazing things when we’re abroad because I’m shut up in my room watching the latest Christopher Nolan or Martin Scorsese film. I guess the 262 movies on my IMDb watch list will have to wait…
What would you miss most about leaving your home to go traveling? Do you have anything that you’d love to say goodbye to? Feel free to leave a comment or email us at dirtypawsblog@gmail.com
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