Archive for February 20th, 2012
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.