Life Is A Journey…

   It has been said by many, perhaps thousands of people, that life is a journey. Therefore I cannot claim to making this an original thought or idea. Many  before me have espoused this belief. But recently, the concept of life being a journey is taking on a new meaning for me.

   In most cases, life’s journey for many begins at a very early age. Now I know that does not sound profound. We all assume our place on the planet at an early age. But that does not necessarily mean that is when the journey begins. The journey begins when each of use takes personal responsibility for the life we wish to lead.

   It is true that those early days are somewhat controlled and directed by those around us, family, friends, perhaps others with influence. But at some point we decide to venture out on our own and set goals and a direction to begin the journey.

   With a few minutes to waste the other day, I pulled over to the side of the road and walked onto a bridge stretching across Rt 95 and watched as the line of cars and trucks passed beneath me. All were traveling at different speeds, weaving in and out around those who seemed to be slowing them down. Some waved as they glanced up and saw me standing on the bridge, one or two “flipped me the bird,” but most just pushed ahead with their foot on the gas pedal. In one lane of the highway, they were all traveling in the same direction and in the other lane, they were headed in the opposite direction. But my view from the bridge is not necessarily what the journey of life is all about.

   The journey of life is not always the same for everyone. I think we all know that. We only have to look around us to watch and observe others. We begin to understand that there could be some bumpy roads, some unexpected twists and turns, some steep hills to climb and deep valleys to cross and maybe a detour or two.

   After spending a few minutes on the bridge I climbed back into my car and soon joined the others I had been watching, me moving back and forth into the passing lanes in an effort to get to my destination for that day.

   While each day may or may not have a specific destination, as each day passes, we realize yesterday is never to return. What each new day gives us is the preparation for tomorrow and at some point we may begin to understand the journey we have been on. And that journey, for many of us, is based upon the decisions we make each day, with a constant reminder that today is today and tomorrow will become a new today and yesterday is a thing of the past.

   The journeys we set out on are in large part guided and directed by those around us. As a young child, much of life is influenced by family and friends. Parents have goal and dreams for children. Some will follow the dreams of Mom or Dad. But others may branch out and try new things, new directions, new challenges. But life still remains the journey.

   As I sit back, enjoying the music of the 1970s and entertainment being supplied by my Alexa (my new tech toy), I often think about the past, where I have been, what parts of my life have been a success and the parts I would not want to repeat. But then I remember that the journey is not over. While today is today, it is not yesterday anymore, and there is still tomorrow.

   For me, the journey still continues. Each day still offers new opportunities, new thoughts and ideas. Each day still brings new people into my life, new books to read, new places to see and visit and most important, new things to learn.

   I encourage those reading this to consider life, not as a destination, but as a journey, where each day teaches us something new about ourselves in order to help smooth out the bumpy roads, help navigate some of the twists and turns and climb the mountains that may come before us.

  

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

Getting From ‘Point A’ to ’Point B’

    Each morning when I roll out of bed, I place both feet on the floor, grab my bathrobe, pour myself a hot cup of coffee and begin to make my plans for the upcoming day. For many years. those plans mostly focused on getting ready for work. But with retirement, it is a very different kind of planning. For the most part, today’s planning focuses on activities that I prefer to do rather than those I have to do except if it's one of those days when the car needs to have an oil change or more recently, getting ready for winter by having the snow tires put on the car.

   Sometimes there are some things that happen that cause one to pause and think about. Why did that happen? Why now? Is someone trying to send me a message?  Let me give you an example.

    My use of technology has been fairly limited. Let’s just call it old school.  I have a cell phone and a compute and pretty much limit their use to the basic, nothing fancy, use for what were initially designed to do. For example using my computer to write this column.

   But recently we added a new piece of technology to our home. She is called Alexa. And much to our surprise she has added some new and interesting dynamic entertainment to our household.

   For example. When coming downstairs in the morning and preparing the coffee I announce her name and ask her what the weather is going to be for that particular day, what the important news stories were for the last for the past 24 hours and then ask her to play some music for a few minutes. And being the old-fashioned person that I am, I’ll admit, this is pretty cool.

The other morning I asked her to play some songs. And the first song was a song by Bob Dylan. Its title? “The Times They Are A-Changing”. Now let me tell you. That was pretty scary. I snapped my head around to see if anyone else was in the room. Why that song?  Why today? But as I settled in with my hot coffee I began to think about what had happened and was it appropriate for Alexa to remind me just how much the times have changed. (She is pretty smart.) Yes. It was a big step to bring Alexa into the house but in the brief time we have had her, she really has added a lot of entertainment and in some respects made life a bit easier. She is a wealth of knowledge. Now I don’t have to dig out the encyclopedia to look something up. Just ask her a question and you will see how smart she is.

   So what causes us to take risks, to try new things, and hopefully move ahead from Point A to Point B, especially if you are not a risk taker? To be honest, if I had not had the opportunity to spend a bit of time with Alexa, I probably would not have been so anxious to purchase one. But that experience, a ‘Point A’ for me in my daily life, while looking out over the calm waters of Downeast Maine, moved me to point B, trying something new. Not a big deal, but then some things don’t have to be.

   As each day passes, it sometimes becomes more challenging to move ahead, to take that step into the unknown. Today’s world is not what I would have hoped for. The distrust, hate, anger, which is reported each day sets an unfortunate tone for life in 2022. But then the reminder from Alexa and the song from Bob Dylan can encourage each of us to make decisions to move forward from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B’, to plan a day knowing that maybe at some point there will be a new experience or opportunity that will provide new and exciting adventures. Yes…. the times are changing, but the will always be a ‘Point A’ and ‘Point B’ in our personal lifetimes if we allow for them and are willing to take the risk.

   So…. Alexa…. what shall I have for dinner tonight? Something Greek you say? But I don’t how to cook Greek food. Oh. A new learning experience? I get it. Thank you.

(I was not able to read this aloud as I often do because every time I read her name, she responded with some type of answer. 😊)