Bear Creek Lake east reservoir trail: Photo by Noelle
As I get older I understand the value of taking the turn in the road. To go around the bend and see what’s up ahead and expose oneself to what is wholly unfamiliar. These are the points past what you usually travel. I’ve found little wineries this way and farmer’s markets, on what I thought were dead end roads. Old train cars left in the middle of deserts and wood sculptures whittled by hand from stumps. Mostly, I’ve discovered myself. Versions of me I hadn’t seen in awhile or new shades of the me I thought I knew. I can’t fall back on the familiar or the tried and true, when I take the trail that winds mysteriously into a wood. I have to re-invent, if just a little. Lost I pull out my best skills and wield a craft I didn’t know I possessed. I see the world with different eyes, and dig deeper into pockets for penny treasures I hadn’t found reason to use. There’s power in facing the unknown you. It makes your insides worldly, in much the same way traveling abroad does. It expands your view on who you think you are.
Meditation Travelogue 
I really relate to this one from my own travels. Not only the large European tours that expanded my mind, but even the trip I took last night to a new place/event in Milwaukee opened new possibilities.
It is amazing now both the inner and outer worlds are so much bigger than we imagine.
Great symbolic picture. Holds beauty as well as wisdom. So do your words. You are truly a gifted lady. I totally agree with your reply to Liz’s comment.
Thank you and for coming by for a visit. I am captivated by journeys. Since before King Arthur I think we all have been. In our modern age I think we have come to think that such adventures happen only in times of old. When really, we are all on a hero’s journey, as Campbell would say. That’s the purpose of life. To leave the front door and go find yourself in wild woods and strange caves of the mind, and, sometimes in the body. Have a beautiful Sunday.
Beautiful words. The inner and outer worlds mirror each other in infinite ways. We don’t know who we really are until we get lost and find our way back.
So true, LaVagabonde. So true. And even though we might feel afraid when we are lost, when we find ourselves again aren’t those always the best stories?
So true…I am a hiker and have done this since I was a child (my dad was an avid hiker) and still love the excitement of what is around the bin. 🙂 The inner self, I believe, enjoys this feeling and respects it much more now than in the past. 🙂
Absolutely, Janice. I think our spirit hungers for the open road and the untraveled paths. We work hard to create routines and habits and a life that is secure and predictable, when what ignites us is mystery and the chance at an adventure. Thank you for coming by and visiting, my friend. Still pondering the beauty of your flower posted this morning.
Thank you! 🙂