Something new in something old

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust

I’m not sure, but I don’t think Marcel travelled very much outside of France.  He was a sickly boy, who grew into a man considered sickly (he died in 1922 aged 51 – which wasn’t unnaturally young for the time, but hardly a ripe old age!), who wrote a couple of books one of which was very successful.  He is one of those writers who has lots of quotable quotes of which the above is one.  It was on my boss’s mug and I only noticed it this morning during a meeting.  What a lovely quote.

I really love to travel.  I really love seeing new things.  While I love to go long distances, I also know that I don’t need to travel a long way to see things that are new – or able to be seen in a new light.  As I’ve mentioned before, it’s one of the things that I love about travelling with children – you get a different perspective.   Maybe it’s also why I’ve enjoyed a number of recent activities so much – going to places I’ve already seen but looking at them differently.   On the weekend Sam and I walked 5kms from our place and found the views quite fantastic.  It's just a matter of how you approach life.

Anyway, it’s something to be grateful for – the ability to see something new in something old!