Break Week is over, and I think it has been well used. I got into Denver International Airport at about 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. My eyes and mind were glazed and I thought, “When I woke up this morning I was in Shanghai yesterday afternoon.” I had traveled more than 15,000 miles since leaving home; but you travelers out there know it is not about the miles as much as it is the experiences and the people you meet.
Out on the road, the people come from everywhere, for all kinds of reasons, and they become your friends because fate has brought you to them to share a moment of their lives.
Out of all those folks, the most interesting are those like the young German who had spent a month in India and another month in Thailand and was passing through China on his way to Russia to ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad back to Europe. He certainly had stories, and will create many more before he is back home.
Yes, the most interesting are the business travelers who are winding down after hammering out the agreement to supply zippers or thread to the garment factory that is going to send your local Walmart the latest American fashions. Those folks have quite a lot to tell their bosses and co-workers.
In fact, the most interesting are those in the tour group, in the country for a 10 day vacation and then back home. They have real lives back there – not like those who are always on the move. They bring the perspective of one looking at a new land through new eyes. Listen to what they have to say and you will find great insights.
The most interesting, though, are the few who have come to this foreign country to live and work among its people for a whole year or more. They have a unique understanding and their stories will help us all better understand the international community.
That is why the most interesting folks you meet here are the aging pensioners who have never left this province in their entire lives. They move slowly with bags of rice in the carts and stop to complain to neighbors – or to anyone who will listen – about the burden of the outrageous government taxation.
Of course there are also your family members who are the most interesting people because each of them can share observations with you from a common and shared set of past experiences. There is no one else who can give you more personal stories that fit your unique individual understanding.
And there is not a single one of these people who is more interesting than the Observer who is somewhere inside you. That Observer sees and hears all that is around you and knows – absolutely knows – that what you see and hear are not stories of the past or the future; they are all with you right here, right now, this moment.
Ah, but that is the Observer’s story. Our human brain is wired so that we cannot process anything we see or hear for several milliseconds after the so-called “physical sensation.” Consequently, the Observer is leaning forward on its bar stool telling more and more stories about the recent past.
The song “Yesterday’s Wine” was written for Willie Nelson’s 1971 album of the same name. That was a concept album that told the story of the “Imperfect Man” from birth until the day he died. On the album, Willie explains its purpose by saying, “Yes, there’s great confusion on earth, and the power that is has concluded the following: Perfect man has visited earth already and His voice was heard; The voice of Imperfect Man must now be made manifest; and I have been selected as the most likely candidate.” In this song, the narrator recognizes one who appears widely traveled and asks that traveler to sit down and tell his story. When you and I are on the road we understand that there is a camaraderie among travelers. Willie understands that all the time.
This song has also been on several other Willie Nelson albums, but it was never a big hit for him. Still, it did help Willie to eventually pay his taxes because it became a Number One hit for for Merle Haggard and George Jones in 1982, and it has been recorded by many other artists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ7sYvYexAs