February 2012
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Journey

I recently overheard a familiar comment…’it’s not about the destination, it’s all about the journey.’  This brought to mind another saying about the ‘journey of a thousand miles beginning with the first step.’  My mind invited these concepts into play.  Soon I was riding the ferris wheel of my probing interest.  Going slowly round and round, stopping at the top; swinging gently.  Then down again, stopping to pick up some different perspectives.

Of course I checked the old Webster, journey has origins in ME, OFr. and L.  What intrigued me the most was the L. root, diurnus which means ‘daily’.  And also, that journey was a days travel.  This made a great deal of sense to me as I reflected on the above adages.  A days travel prior to the industrial revolution was an arduous undertaking, especially before the horse and buggy.  On foot, or on a donkey, horse, camel or elephant a day’s  journey would often have been demanding, exhausting and dangerous.

More mind musings spotlighted the ‘daily’ journey, with its ups and downs, highs and lows, flotsam and jetsam and provided a profound insight into the speed at which we now ‘travel’ in a day even when we don’t leave home.  This is not a new experience for the majority of us.  However, I wonder if you, like me, get so caught up in the swiftness of the journey that we often miss details; the Hawk on telephone wire, the color of the sky, the smell of the season, a stranger’s smile.

The above sayings now have more depth and meaning for me.  I am inspired to stop for a moment here and there; to catch my breath, to watch a Hummingbird, to play with a child, say ‘Hello’ to a neighbor, and to rest now and then.

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