Weaver

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As I sat in the Cairns City Library today reading Bill Bryson's latest I was approached by a well-tanned, rather rugged looking man. "Would it bother you if I sat here? I can't find anywhere else to plug in my laptop."

"Sure," I replied. And as I got up intending to leave, I didn't have the opportunity. Within minutes I was immersed in conversation with an American man, who as he says, "Came to Canberra in the '60s and never went back."

Travellers, in general, tend to have a more open-minded, liberal way of thinking. Although each traveller is different, they seem to be more willing to let their guard down and more open to really listening to what others have to say. As I listened to this man, I was intrigued and immediately comfortable. For the next two and a half hours, as I read his literature and listened to his stories, I was amazed at his impeccable writing style, his dry sense of humor, and his truly admirable outlook on life. In his strange accent, a mix of American and Australian, my new friend explained why he had the desire to push a trolley from Sydney to Cairns for seven years, why he lives on a sailboat and can go wherever he wants when he wants, and why his life is coming to a close and he is content.

One can't help but wonder occassionally when meeting people like my friend, Weaver, why these people have come into your life... a short blurp in a long journey. But each time I meet someone like him, I am grateful for the sense of inspiration and the enrichment these people bring to my life.

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