Such Freedom in Travel

‘In New York’, the lyrics of Alicia Key’s song kept floating through my head whenever I looked down on my list. The title ‘30’. My 30th birthday was upon me and I had just quit my job in Chicago, packed up my 3 year life and bought a ticket back to South Africa, a ticket with one catch. An epic mini adventure in New York on route home. My list consisted of all the regular tourist attractions, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the red bus, Rockafella Center, Central Park and much more. Sitting mid journey at Charlotte International airport I started to contemplate life. My life to be exact. My 60 hour weeks working in hospitality with one day off and now I am here jobless, but free. My time has became my own, each moment from now on was mine alone, I could sleep until I felt that I had enough. I could eat when I was hungry and not at a designated time. That song, took on a whole new meaning, New York took on a whole new meaning. Looking down at the pieces of paper, a thought came to mind, if I am so free to do whatever I wanted, in a city where I know nobody. Why am I sitting here with a list? This list of planned activities for the next week. A structured out tourist adventure created on someone else’ ideas. Did I really want to spend the next week rushing about a new place, searching for the right street on which to tick a box? This was not the point of it all, this was not my adventure. I did not set myself free only to be held back by the chains of my own creation. “Calling all passengers...”, the call for those that paid extra for that first class seat. Not me, I will wait until the line is short again and everyone has boarded the plane. Why should I stand in a queue, only to wait on the plane. I laugh at the lady in the red pants, rushing for a space near the front. She just gave the man next to her the ugliest glance, as if to ask “how dare you push in front of me”. They will all have to wait for us, yes us, myself and the business man over there still comfortably set up doing his work on his laptop. Until he puts it away, I have no intention of moving. We are all on the same flight and the plane won’t leave without us if we are 7th last in the line. My fingers tear the top of the list, unconsciously I have torn straight through the Statue of Liberty. Why stop there? I tear the list into piece and smile. This New York adventure is mine to create.