To Wander, Meander, or Just Walking

 

   It has been said, well before my time, that life is a journey and that throughout that journey one can and will experience many different things. That journey can take one to many different places, to experience a variety of emotions, meet all kinds of people and on occasion can give one new life, maybe purpose,  and new meaning regardless of age. Perhaps most important, it can give one perspective, the ability to look back and in so doing learn some valuable lessons for life for the future.

   Having reached an age where I have a lot to look back on, I think I have a better understanding of the different stages of life we move through. It begins as a time of exploration as a small child, then a period of experimentation and then transitions into a time of commitment and seriousness about a journey forward.

   But throughout those various parts in the journey of life one may find there are times when you may discover a need to just wander and meander just a bit. You wake up in the morning to a bright sunny day and decide that, instead of a “normal” day (what that may be for you), you decide to go for a walk, just wander around listening to the sounds and enjoying the solitude and peace and quiet it brings. It can be as simple as a walk in the park, the park being the world you have created around yourself during your journey so far.  

   The journey through life can, in some cases, feel like riding on a speeding train, getting off every once ana while, taking a few steps and  then getting back on board only to wait for the next stop, the adventure, the next leg of your journey.

   Perspective is an interesting word and for some reason I have been thinking about it often recently. Perhaps it is because I have become a bit older and I am trying to figure out about the different parts of my life, the different experiences, and why I have become the person that I am today. And perhaps it is because I have come to a new and better understanding that the journey through life never really ends, but only if we allow it. The journey just changes and takes a different direction.

   With getting older the train ride may become slower and the stops at each station may last a bit longer. But the most important part is that if we allow it, the wandering, meandering, and walking can still continue as we reflect on the past and the future. We come to the realization that despite how old we become we can still learn new things. We can still experience new adventures and we are able to enjoy those walks in the park, looking at the pieces of our life we have gathered around us that helped to make us who we are.

   There will always exist the idea of ‘perspective’ and the curiosity of wondering how things would have been different if only I had…….We know how that thought ends. But the idea of gaining a somewhat new perspective of who we are, regardless of where we are in the journey is not to take us backwards, but it can help us continue to move forward and continue to learn and grow.  We may not be able to wander and meander about as quickly as we did when we were younger. But we can still climb aboard the train and continue the journey.  

   I have come to believe that the journey never ends. It just takes a different form. The memories and history never goes away. Pictures hanging in the hallways, scribbled notes on old birthday cards, an old blanket or pair of shoes left under the bed and other pieces of memorabilia can trigger memories and history.

   As I looked out the window on this very cloudy morning I decided that this would be a good day to do some walking and ‘meandering’ around the yard. Speaking of meandering, where did I put that snow shovel? I may need it later today. I don’t want to speed up that train, but it would be nice to get a little taste of the upcoming springtime though.