The Road to Beyond...

I wasn’t able to get my 500 words in yesterday, but as we were bouncing around hundreds of miles and meeting with different people I figured I was absolved temporarily.  As a result, it seemed appropriate to come to the table this morning and talk about… you guessed it… Travel.  It’s gotten me thinking a few different things.  #1- how can I write while in the process of traveling in a car for hours at a time? and #2-What kind of traveler am I?  It might seem strange to say this, but I really believe there are different philosophies about traveling.  What you think about it pretty much dictates your relationships and major decisions in life.

I believe I was taught to travel well.  Let me try to explain that. I'm thankful that my Dad instilled a strong sense of adventure inside of me.  My earliest vivid memories all center around us taking a trip somewhere.  They're my happiest memories.  There I was maybe all of 4 years old and I would be riding shotgun with my Dad in the front seat while he taught me how to read a map as we sailed along long Texas highways.  It was the 70's back before all those rules came into play about children under a certain height not being able to travel in the front seat.  And would you believe that I wouldn't wear a seatbelt either?  For shame.  Anyhow, it certainly didn't get in the way of the pure unadulterated joy that goes with the windows down... wind washing over my face; different scents as we passed through different terrain and my Dad's happy chatter as he explained the different places we were driving through with their different stories and people.  There he was pointing out the window at some sign we were passing heralding the advent of a new city to adventure through, then next pulling off to the side of the road to investigate the crazy looking tree that looked like a twisted pretzel bent together by some warped giant.  Meanwhile, my mom would be rolling her eyes in the back seat of the car and asking when we were planning to stop for food and the bathroom.  Good times. 

Another thing that I’m thankful to have been instilled with is the belief that all my needs would be taken care of no matter where I traveled or with whomever I would travel. Fate/Destiny/Providence always seemed ready and waiting to provide a way out of anything; lots of inspiring company, food and conversation; and the kinds of crazy, adventurous stories I would be able to share in the years to come.  I have journals full of memories that could fill quite a few rooms, if not an entire house.  Because of my dad’s infectious, curious spirit and love of travel, I now completely trust that I was given the ability to treat every situation in my life as if I were on some grand adventure.  I rarely feel stuck, because I know that life is in how you perceive it and so I’ve decided to treat it with the understanding that I can have direct positive influence on any situation simply by being open and flexible.  It makes a difference.  

Life is like traveling a path under a night sky.  That can be a challenge, or it can be an exhilarating whole-hearted embrace of new people and new ideas that you won’t discover unless you turn around the next bend.  Learn how to travel well, and you’ll discover the secret to joyous living.  Forever. 

Fortress

Many years ago, I made a funny little commitment with myself to set a color theme for every birthday.  I think I was maybe 14 or 15 years old.  So this is the way it works.  I’d say a prayer for a color to be given to me to focus on for the year.  It would then be my responsibility to discover the symbolic meaning of that particular color.  Usually, the way I would and do find out the color is that … let’s say the color “orange” will end up on gifts, cards, decorations for parties thrown for me etc. etc.  And before you say it, YES, as a general rule I would get bombarded by one particular color or a compatible color scheme. Color makes it’s bold splash upon the canvas of my life and …voila!  A theme is born.

This past year, I got dark blue and pale, golden yellow in a particularly Japanese design.  It showed up on birthday cards, gifts that appeared in the mail and the journal sitting on the table next to me.  This birth year promised to be a very deep, intense and fulfilling year.  One of sunny promises and the intangibility of depth and creative prospects that would be explored with great delight and a strong spiritual drive rooted in wisdom that ultimately PROTECTS.

The last time I got these colors, I was 18 years old.  It was a time of great maturation, rich spiritual insight and fresh, open-eyed wonder which drove me through the next 7 years.  When I got them again this past September, I have to admit I got pretty excited.  I have a penchant for clarity and consider it the greatest gift God can give me.  Clarity gives birth to wisdom and to me there is no higher grace.  Wisdom is the wedding of Knowledge and Love.  It is the lion lying next to the lamb; it’s the rose without thorns; it’s the cow feeding next to a bear and it’s the child playing next to a viper.  That is what wisdom represents to me.

So here I am, with 9 months still to go on that theme.  Already the last 3 months have given birth to much adventure and reflection at the same time.  I’ve been traveling, moving, considering and reconsidering friendships; and generally plunging to the depth of any consideration I have so that we can make the very best decisions possible.  My husband and I have made it part of our daily creed to fight for fullness of communication and understanding in everything we do.  When the people around us begin to sacrifice integrity, we say something.  When things fall through the cracks we catch it.  Thankfully, he’s been right next to me in exerting our wills to fight for people.  Fight for each other.  Protect all that is dear to us.  If we’re not willing to protect, we’ll never be able to fully love.  Protect our hearts and souls God! Protect.