Which is more important - the journey or the destination?
On all out travels, whether they are real or metaphorical, we are often so focused on the destination or "goal" that we rarely have time to "take in the scenery", or even to wonder if our goals are realistic. This seems especially true in our mid-lives where deadlines run our time and we are forever in danger of drowning in overwhelm.
Enlightenment via public transport
A couple of days ago I took a bus ride - several bus rides in fact. I'm usually out in my car and in complete control of how I get to my destination, but this time there was no car to fall back on and I was at the mercy of the bus timetable.
This will be easy, I thought,... plenty of time to get to my appointment, and the bus stops virtually out side my house.
I checked the times and rushed out thinking I might miss it. Luckily it was late, so my nervousness and uncertaintly were unfounded.
The journey had begun...
Decision time..
Well, I got as far as the library, where I would have to change buses.
Still holding my destination and deadline in my mind, I looked for the bus I thought I needed to catch next...it wasn't there yet.
Looking around, I saw another bus across the street that had my destination clearly marked on the front. Well, it seemed it was going exactly my way. Just to be clear I asked the driver to confirm that the sign on the bus agreed with the route he would be taking; it did.
I happily boarded the bus and settled into my seat...
Having faith...
OK...everything was going fine, until we reached the end of the street, then we turned in the opposite direction to what I had expected.
This diversion turned out to be elaborate. Not only that, we passed close by my starting position near my house!!
I breathed deeply and enjoyed the ride. It was a beautiful sunny day and I saw parts of the town that I don't normally drive by. I had to give up my control and have faith that we would arrive at our destination.
Eventually we did, although I was 5 minutes late for my appointment..no big deal.
The kicker..
When I arrived for my appointment, I was told that there had been a miscommunication and there was no need for me to attend in person after all!
Instead of being annoyed, I laughed. I didn't have anywhere else to be and I had enjoyed a lovely scenic trip on the bus; a treat I seldom get these days.
So, back I went to the bus stop to wait for the next bus home :-)
The lessons learned...
No matter how you reach your destination, even if things seem to be going wrong, enjoy your journey and learn from the experience...
You may think that your destination is the most important place to arrive at, but it may not be the reason for your journey after all...
Set you intention and let it be what it is. The universe will make the final decision for you...
Whatever happens, smile and share what you've learned :-)
