The Accounts Of A Traveler

“Good morning! I don’t have to go to work today…..I can laze for a while longer.” said his wife and went back to sleep. She had retired from a lifelong service in the private sector, just yesterday. She had been applauded for her significant contribution to the organization. Today was her first day of life after retirement, and she sounded really relaxed.

Mayank, unlike his wife, had spent his life as a free spirit. He was a traveler and writer by profession. He had spent his life trotting the globe to places near and far. The world's fastest cities, to the remotest villages, from historical ruins to wildlife sanctuaries, he had seen it all.

Today, as he saw his wife snoozing the alarm probably for the first time in her life, the reality struck him hard. Although he had always been thankful to her for supporting him in his career, today, as he looked back, he could see the times when he had not been there for her……the day their first and only son was born, he was on the other side of the globe, helping the victims of a famine. She had raised their son almost single-handedly, and he had not been able to see his son grow up.

He had lost his mother at a very young age. When his old father was ailing, it was his wife and son who looked after the old man.

He thought of his friends, who had been dutiful sons, husbands, and fathers. A wave of guilt came over him. His mind had wandered in this direction before, but today, the feeling was much stronger. “What have I been doing all my life? I have never cared enough for my own people. What was the use of spending all these years traveling all over the world?” he thought. He was blank.

Then his phone rang. He had received a notification that the first review of his travel log to Madagascar had been released.

“I hope my travel accounts make a difference in the world…I hope they change the way people see other people.” he thought.

That day onward, he decided that his travel accounts would emphasize more on people than on places.