Musing #1: Life as a Journey

I find the metaphor of life as a journey helpful: there is a beginning and an ending, and I am finding my way between them.  It is also helpful in understanding what living a contemplative life is about. 

I don’t think that it is just because I am getting older that life seems to be speeding up.  Childhood has been curtailed; there is an eagerness to experience as much as possible as soon as possible; there is the bucket list which emphasises things that need to be fitted in; there is the constant stream of information.  It seems to me that on our journey of life we have so much to fit in that we have jumped into a car, or maybe onto a plane, to make sure that we get everything done.  We are living life as fast as possible so that we can cram everything in, whatever ‘everything’ is for us.

It concerns me that we get into that car.  We get into a car with people we know – family and friends: people who think like us and want to go to the places we want to go.  We speed past the people who are different to us – we have no time to stop and get to know them.  We are happy and content in our car, but there’s a whole world out there that we have no contact with.  It is not often that we stop to give someone a lift, especially someone we don’t know.

So, maybe, contemplation is like getting out of the car and walking.  Letting go of all the things I want to do and places I want to go and putting my feet on solid ground.  Taking my life one step at a time.

When I walk through life I have time to notice the world around me, wherever I find myself.  To observe the beauty and be in touch with my surroundings.  To notice my fellow pilgrims: to strike up a conversation and connect with someone who is not like me – to hear their wisdom and be encouraged. 

When I walk through life I notice footpaths that lead to places I had never thought of visiting – paths that are too narrow for a car to use; places whose beauty is hidden away from an airport or a landing strip.  I can only get to those places by walking.

And maybe sometimes on the journey I take my shoes off and feel the ground beneath my feet.  Maybe sometimes the path gets too rough and I step off it for a while: onto soft, springy grass or into a pool of crystal water.  Maybe I sit for a while and watch the journey of life pass by or maybe I lie down and simply listen.

It’s ok to slow down; it’s ok to be still.  All that we need is here in this moment.  When we can be still in this moment it opens to us and gives us everything we need.

Life is a journey: it is not a race across the world! Can we learn to walk through it and wake up to all that is around us to help us on our way?