Inspiration can be a hard thing to come by. Some of us are fortunate enough to have loved ones, faith, and other positive influences in our lives. But in this fast-moving, pop culture, and celebrity-crazed world, many of us are lured by what appears to be an easy way to succeed and be happy. If only we could forget about our cell phone reception and internet access. If only the real world could be that uncomplicated.
Once in a blue moon, we read stories or see movies about an everyday person getting ahead through hard work and perseverance—Tom Hanks' "Forest Gump," for example, or if you want to really look back, Jimmy Stewart's character George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" come to mind.
In his recently released book, "Romancing the Impossible: Traveling the World Without Money," Oak Hill resident and San Antonio native Clarke Straughan spins tales about his real life — and oh, what a wonderful life it has been.
With a contagious enthusiasm, Straughan describes how as a youth back in the 1960s he left his job as a motel clerk in College Station, ready to see the world and seek his fortune. He barely had anything more than a letter of recommendation from his manager in hand. Would that letter be his ticket to paradise and a new life?
Leaving Texas with $50 and a ticket to Hawaii in his pocket, Straughan had no idea what lay before him. But as he says, "I was 23 years old and I was on my way to a new life of world adventure." Once landed in Waikiki, Straughan found shelter at the local YMCA and quickly began to pound the pavement, hunting for a job. With only enough money to last him a week, he landed that all so important first job at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
From there, Straughan's real life begins to take on a fantastic, Forest Gump-like quality. Before long, because of his hard work and growing reputation in the hotel business, he is taking care of celebrities like Ava Gardner, Charlton Heston, and the Beatles, dancing the night away with beautiful women from Tahiti to Thailand to Tokyo, sailing with world class yachtsmen, and dining with royalty and dignitaries. Altogether, Straughan traveled more than 50,000 miles over the course of seven years.
By no means is Straughan boastful—in fact, he comes across as quite the opposite. True, given what he went through, he has earned bragging rights. But if anything, Straughan has a certain humbleness, as he emphasizes how everyday people he met around the world made his journeys all that more joyful. There was Tom in Canberra who invited him to spend an evening with his family and sing Irish songs around a fire. Or John in Hong Kong who helped him land a job at a time when it was hard for Americans to get hired. Or the family in Cambodia living in a thatched-roof house who fed him a nice meal and offered him money. Or the family in New Delhi who nursed him back to health.
Through his eagerness to work hard and try to be in the right place at the right time, heaven smiles down on Straughan time and time again. Things are not always easy, however. Money often runs tight and he sometimes can only secure passage on less conventional means of transportation such as horse carts, cargo ships, and coal delivery trucks. "I was healthy, tan, and well fed for a change," writes Straughan about his voyage aboard a ship from Haifa to Athens. "Life had become luxurious for a short time. How long it would last was uncertain but I always took it one day at a time—as a gift."
"Romancing the Impossible" is not a how-to guide on traveling the world with little or no money. Instead, it serves as an inspiration on celebrating the human spirit by overcoming the odds. It shows that by showing respect and a friendly attitude, it's possible that others will return the same to you many times over, even if you cannot speak the same language.
In addition to being an author, Straughan is also a motivational speaker, toastmaster, former Director of International Protocol for the State of Texas, former Marine, and retired colonel in intelligence. If you are lucky enough to hear him speak in person, then you learn first hand about his good fortune. Until then, "Romancing the Impossible" should prove motivation enough to adopt a new attitude and take on the world.