The Journey

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We started this blog in order to chronicle our "grand journey" and make it easy for our family and friends to follow what we are up to and where in the world we are. If you are reading this then you likely already know the background - we seized a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was presented before each of us at the exact same time and at the perfect juncture of our lives... so we made the difficult decision to leave good jobs in search of some incredible experiences. We packed up our belongings and left the place that has been our home for the past 2 years, and are now taking care of last minute details before we venture out to do volunteer work coupled with some ambitious leisure travel.

There will be much more detail about our plans and our trip in posts to come. Before we embark on this adventure, however, we have been reflecting on the uncertainty of what lies before us. We have already boarded the roller coaster of emotions that we expect to ride throughout the next few months. This reminded me (Liz) of an essay that I came across on my first 'big trip' with my older sister when I was just 15. The ideas presented below, coupled with the experience of that trip, had a profound impact on me at that time, and continue to do so to this day. The world that we just said goodbye to (albeit temporarily) was one in which we were constantly planning ahead and focusing on what was coming, rather than on what we may have been doing in any given moment. (Some of you may know this as "working for the weekend" 😊 While it is easier said than done, I believe that to truly enjoy life one must be, as they say in yoga class, present. And so I am posting this essay below for your enjoyment, but also to serve as a reminder for ourselves while we are away to cherish every moment, good or bad, since the true joy of life really is the trip, not the destination.

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"The Station" by Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long, long trip that almost spans the continent. We're traveling by passenger train, and out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls, of biting winter and blazing summer and cavorting spring and docile fall.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. There will be bands playing and flags waving. And once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true. So many wishes will be fulfilled and so many pieces of our lives finally will be neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damming the minutes for loitering, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

However, sooner or later we must realize there is no one station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"When we get to the station that will be it!" we cry. Translated it means, "When I'm 18 that will be it! When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz, that will be it! When I put the last kid through college that will be it! When I win a promotion that will be it! When I reach the age of retirement that will be it! I shall live happily ever after!"

Unfortunately, once we get "it", then "it" disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.
"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. Rather, it is regret over yesterday or fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

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We are so excited about this trip and we plan to relish every moment of it. We are constantly reminding ourselves of how fortunate we are to have such an opportunity. We know it isn't always going to be fun or easy - we expect that it will be challenging, frustrating, rewarding, exciting, exhilarating, eye-opening, and many other things that we haven't even considered yet. We don't know what our 'station' will be when this is all done... and hopefully that's a good thing, as we will do our very best to find true joy in everything we experience, and go wherever our hearts may lead. We hope you will enjoy the journey along with us.

All our love,
Liz & Chris

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