Great as always, but especially the paragraph about loving strangers. All my adult life, drawn to characters--trying to understand them, making excuses for them, praising them, imagining they must be living interesting lives.
For a long time I thought what I love about travelling the most is the amazing places you see.
But after I went on a three- month solo trip around India I realised that what I really dig about travelling is the plenty of wonderful people you meet along the way. I find the act of connecting with people almost intoxicating and it makes me really happy and content.
My 3 am? I’ll never get my book written and I’ll never own my own place and did I marry the right man and why don’t I have a career and why didn’t I take all those designer bags and shit that we’re offered to me when I was hostessing way back I could sell it all on the Real Real and make some cash and not feel so flippin unaccomplished all the time!
Diana, I love when I see that I've received your Dispatches from the Road. Because you are honest! You're not the type who would hide weights in fish or runaway with classified documents. Receiving Dispatches is like opening up a much-desired gift.
Oct 24, 2022·edited Oct 24, 2022Liked by Diana Spechler
I love this! I related to every single thing you said here, right down to the experience of things people say to travel writers. (“I’d do it too if I had the freedom to get away!”) as if it’s as easy as getting on a plane and forgetting there’s something called ‘writing’ involved. Diana, I love meeting strangers when I travel too! And that feeling of escaping and feeling so alive and open and realizing that things can be refreshed again always with new places and people and to discover. Diana, you really are living the life you should be. You took all the right paths!
Beautiful piece!
I have often wondered if my giddy love for strangers would dissipate along with their dissipating strangeness if I stayed too long ..
I suppose the only upside of travel being expensive is that I never have to find out..!
Great as always, but especially the paragraph about loving strangers. All my adult life, drawn to characters--trying to understand them, making excuses for them, praising them, imagining they must be living interesting lives.
For a long time I thought what I love about travelling the most is the amazing places you see.
But after I went on a three- month solo trip around India I realised that what I really dig about travelling is the plenty of wonderful people you meet along the way. I find the act of connecting with people almost intoxicating and it makes me really happy and content.
My 3 am? I’ll never get my book written and I’ll never own my own place and did I marry the right man and why don’t I have a career and why didn’t I take all those designer bags and shit that we’re offered to me when I was hostessing way back I could sell it all on the Real Real and make some cash and not feel so flippin unaccomplished all the time!
How’s that for 3am anxiety lol
Gorgeous. I love everything about this. xoxo
Diana, I love when I see that I've received your Dispatches from the Road. Because you are honest! You're not the type who would hide weights in fish or runaway with classified documents. Receiving Dispatches is like opening up a much-desired gift.
What a great framing of the beauty of travel!
... and I have that photo of you - with Dustin Hoffman turning down his invitation to his house for his son's birthday party/barbecue.
I love this! I related to every single thing you said here, right down to the experience of things people say to travel writers. (“I’d do it too if I had the freedom to get away!”) as if it’s as easy as getting on a plane and forgetting there’s something called ‘writing’ involved. Diana, I love meeting strangers when I travel too! And that feeling of escaping and feeling so alive and open and realizing that things can be refreshed again always with new places and people and to discover. Diana, you really are living the life you should be. You took all the right paths!
This was gorgeous and wise and I really miss you