Backpacking Sliding Doors Moments: Aftershot Snippet

“Baby you’ll be famous, chase you down until you love me” – Lady Gaga.

The twenty years away from my homecity passage was less inspiring than I could have thought. It was more boring than a Sunday afternoon doing my ironing watching Arseandall versus Manchester Untied. Spot the cynical Cherry in your undreamt desert Oasis. This then is a snippet of the way “Aftershot” is going. Aftershot is the first book of my upcoming trilogy, “This Is The Next Century”, which will cover my journeys through countries 100 – 199. It’s darker than the happyboy stuff. “Backpacking Centurion” left an aftertaste.

“Every me and every you. Every me” – Placebo.

It’s about those moments that change your life. From these journeys, I could name 1000 or more “Sliding Doors moments”. You know, if you hadn’t done this, you wouldn’t have done that”. “If you didn’t go there, you wouldn’t have met her”. There are so many of these. There were many “hers”. We must have regrets. It’s only human. Would I ever have travelled to 200 countries if certain events didn’t happen? NO.

“I gotta take it on the other side” – Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Would I ever have travelled to 200 countries if these events didn’t happen? NO.

– Mum and Dad buying me the Mexico 86 World Cup Panini Sticker Album in 1986.
– Being drawn by luck out of a hat to backpack 🎒 The Netherlands 🇳🇱 in 1991.
– Visiting Bournemouth in 1994.
– The Great Exam Heist in 1994.
– The OXI One in 1997.
– Belvoir Tech and Miss Vicky Everitt. Glory days loyal September 1997.
– The meat shortage due to Foot And Mouth Disease. Steensons 2002.
– My 72% Grade in English Literature, Irish History, European History and Sociology. It shocked me to the core in 2003.

The answer is NO. All those events slid my doors open into another path. Moving to Bournemouth in 2003 was just the start. I’d never even been to Asia or Africa, nevermind Antarctica or Oceania. Back then. Nobody could, should or would predict your future when you are selling cheeseburgers for a living at Bournemouth pier approach.

“Laughing at the stoney face of gloom when your turn comes round” – Neil Finn.

“I want to fly and run till it hurts. In Australia” – Manic Street Preachers.

Each tiny little moment, or decision influenced the rest of my life and it does yours too. Maybe you don’t notice it or dwell on it. But I do.

“Trying to find a world that’s been and gone” – Noel Gallagher.

Swallowing Asia, Australia, Oceania, Antarctica, Africa and America wasn’t a healer. Backpacking 🎒 a dual centurion’s worth of countries after that didn’t heal me either. Nothing will. I can’t be healed. That’s the reality of the unbored game now. Take it or leave it.

Maybe one day I could be healed for love or money. As a non capitalist, the latter could be an ironical meiosis. Do we just want the money now? It could actually be the answer.

“There’s love if you want it, don’t sound like no sonnet” – Richard Ashcroft.

As everglades, none of us knowledge possess what’s around the chimney corner.

My genuine smile too, has been…and gone. But there is something bigger and better ahead. Remember Kyle MacDonald’s dream?