If you are a parent you may have experienced a long drive where your kids ask, “Are we there yet?” I know that as a child as we drove to my grandparent’s house in upstate NY I would ask “How much longer?” My dad, being the smart one that he is, used to tell me what the odometer would say when we arrived. I would then sit quietly in the back checking the odometer each time I wondered how much further we had to go. It kept me quiet and him happy.
As I reflect back on those excursions I think about life journeys today. We often want to know how much longer until we reach our goal, or when will we get there. With the destination being the focus we often lose sight of all the steps along that journey and the insights and the pleasure they can bring.
Now I will admit when I am on a long drive, I often say jokingly “Are we there yet?” Who can resist. But in reality I spend more of my time experiencing the present: looking at the trees, buildings or other cars around me; taking advantage of the time in the car to read magazines I normally don’t find the time for (that is of course if I am not driving); have a conversation with others I am with. So even though I am excited about where we are heading, I am not losing sight of all the things I can experience along the way.
So as you are on your next life journey, maybe ask yourself the following questions:
- What can I notice along the way?
- What can I learn?
- Who may I meet?
- What can I take away from this experience?
Then notice how the journey takes form
What journey are you on and what are you experiencing along the way? Share with me below.