On the Road Again

I hate traveling. That’s not to say I hate going new places, seeing new things, and meeting new people. I actually really enjoy all of that. But I am a destination-oriented person, and traveling is often full of cramped cars, coach seats, gas-station or airplane bathrooms, and tiring hours listening to the maddening mechanical hum of whatever vehicle you’re traveling in. Once you arrive, though, that is when you can begin enjoying what you came for, right? The most brilliantly composed metaphor for the way I feel when traveling is captured by an episode of one of my favorite shows: Avatar: The Last Airbender. The episode begins with the main characters on their way to a particular city when they meet a group of hippie-like nomads who encourage them to take a less well-used route to their destination. Their side-route allows them to avoid their enemies, but creates a few more obstacles. After some creative finagling, they all manage to get to where they were going with a