Dust on My Shoes
Peter Pinney's first book Dust on My Shoes is an account of an overland journey which he made between 1948 - 1950 from Greece to Burma via Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan & India. It is now known to Westerners as the Overland Route or Dope Trail.
"I am just travelling. Some people like to grow crops, others to make music, or sit in small shops, like your father, selling pots. I am unsuccessful in all the things which I enjoy most, except the one thing which I find best of all: and that is travelling. To pass through a new country is something very dear to my heart." an excerpt from Dust on My Shoes - Peter Pinney.
Love it! Love it! When I first read this paragraph, I had just plunged in for a warm soak in the tub and had this great book for company. By the time I considered putting the book down, I was frozen, since the water had gone cold and the candlelight had faded away to a dim sliver, and I could no longer see! His words just reached inside my heart & snatched out the adventure that I so longed for. I couldn't get enough of his adventurous & wild encounters on what was at times, a very terrifying journey. I really just wanted to walk in his shoes.
Have you ever felt that yearning for adventure where you simply want to scream out loud, as loud as you can! Get me the hell out of here!!!! Where the everyday joys of life with money & security, well, just doesn't do it for you?
Our conditioning from society means that our first impression of riches are material items like cars, homes, money & fashion. I am here to tell you along with Peter Pinney [professional traveler, then writer] that nothing moves me quite like a smile from a person, dressed in rags for clothes, most teeth missing, weathered faces & beings which wreak from needing a good shower. Nothing else matters when we engage our hearts through a smile and try to converse with our hands, since we cannot understand each other! When you constantly throw yourself into experiences like this, it is so damn hard to just settle for less. AND I mean the day to day slog in western society with all our grandeur is less than the riches I gain from a fleeting conversation, a smile or embrace I receive from one country to the next.
I'm not someone who "has money", as such [although, even in my position I would be better off than many]. I feel blessed that I've gained so many amazing exchanges in my life, that this is my wealth. I would have to say, that I am most content & fulfilled when I am travelling. An abundance of more worldliness and wisdom is all I cherish.
I live to travel. It is truly the greatest educator of life! Try topping up your life until it overflows with soulful experiences. When everything around you is cold, the reminiscences will warm you.
Peter Pinney & his wife Estelle settled in Brisbane in the 1980's. He passed away in 1992. Noted here is the website Dust on My Shoes however there are a great deal more explorations of his life worth discovering. He is a legend in my eyes. I only wish I had the fortune of meeting with him.
June 28, 2010 7:19 PM
Leave a comment