Without a Plan: Accepting Life’s Journey

I am blessed to visit or live in 53 countries; I don’t count the countries I just passed through to another destination.

In each case, there was a plan, an itinerary, a map or a location that was known.

The journey we call life doesn’t come with instructions, let alone a map; it is a destination unknown.

I had a quote on my wall that an extraordinary friend, a sister by choosing, gave me when I visited her in Los Angeles. “Life is a Journey. Only you hold the map”.

What does that mean to you?

It means that where you go is not pre-destined; how you get, there is also up to you. If you recall, my original plan was to travel for the year and return to Winnipeg eventually. That may still happen, but I am taking time out here in the UK.

I am tired. I am tired of the constant change. As exciting as travel is, change is exciting getting settled, finding out where and how to get food. I am finding lodging, so you know where you will rest your head. I haven’t found that final place to rest my head, and I am looking still, so stay tuned.

I am exhausted. Chasing a dream of 75 countries while living in North America is just too challenging and expensive unless you have a travel-related career.

I am reclaiming. When my family left Ireland in 1972, it wasn’t because we wanted to. There was a real-life and death reason to make that move in under 30 days. I am reclaiming my birthrights so that strangers who caused them to be lost won’t win.

I am cold. I was chasing summer, and as long as I can remember, I have always lived in places with a change of seasons. I am not a fan of 40 below winter, but mild winter I can handle. After nine months in summer, I needed a change; I didn’t know it until I was here that I miss this.

I am lost. The journey is unknown as the destination is unknown. I know where I physically am, but not where I am on the journey as the journey is never-ending. You may pause along the way for various reasons, but we all end up travelling our journey. As we are all different, so are our journeys.

With this much unsettled and unknown details, you would think that my journey can’t continue, just the opposite. It will continue and continues; every day I wake up and start my day, the journey is ongoing.

You see, that’s why I have so much gratitude for that first breath of the day; it means we have the opportunity to continue our journey.

I am embracing the daily journey as much as the exotic travel journey takes effort and practice. The motivation between each is different. The similarities are also as stark.

During this pandemic, many things have started to become very clear to me.

One constant in our journeys is people. We are social animals, and we seek connection with others, be they friends, acquaintances, or strangers.

If we are travelling our journey, our minds are continually developing. Our experiences are shaping our minds. It doesn’t matter if it’s to a new and exotic locale or in your own home.

Our spirit is always with us. Location doesn’t matter to the spirit as it’s around us just as nature is.

Our emotions can be the same, whether we physically travel or not. After all, we are emotional beings and whether we be happy or sad, angry or glad.

These four aspects of self are always constant. We are meeting the needs of the physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual self. Regardless of where you are, they are still with you.

Travelling your life journey without knowing the plan is not only being courageous every day, but it is the ultimate form of acceptance, each of us demonstrates every single day.

The acceptance you do not understand your journey, but you travel it every day.

Acceptance that there is a destination as of yet not clear to you.

You see, we all live acceptance of our journey every day, so why if you travel without understanding your destination, why do you expect someone else to know and explain there’s to you?

Live life with acceptance without understanding, grow through your life journey to acceptance with understanding. That applies to others as much as it applies to you.

Love N Hugs,

Cheers,

Cynthia