Tag: explore.

God Bless This Open Road.

“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose….

Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere – on water and land.”

– Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Poet, Walt Whitman once proclaimed that a child entering the world each day might take upon the energy of all that was ‘seen.’ And, in a very special way, it seems.

For, “the first object he look’s upon he became. And that object became part of him for a day or a certain part of the day, Or for many years or stretching cycle of years.”

I’d like to think we carry these ‘faces of joy’ on throughout our years; through twisted paths, and climbing branches and streams that never seem to end.

Their energy is always with us – a vested piece of our most precious soul.

Begging us to carry them forward – ‘afoot and light-hearted’ on this wide and open road.

The Practice of Discovery.

[blockquote source=”Agnes De Mille”]”Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.”[/blockquote]

My dears, even from the earliest age I remember the excitement of discovery. And on into my later years, I carry that energy with me each and every day.

I’ve kicked over the most stubborn of rocks, and waded through the iciest of streams ~ simply for that one small chance, to discover that which the Universe most wishes me to *see*.

And, do you know what, my dears? In that process, I found the greatest of treasures within.

Oh sure, you can read books and watch television shows, but you’ll never truly know the blessings of dawn unless you poke that nose outdoors.

Neither will you ever know the sweetness of life, without first ‘tasting’ it.

I have always found it ironic, that in wishing for a life of joyful adventure – we end up limiting ourselves.

We dare to dream, yet are afraid to do.

For years, I had longed to be a writer. And yet, whenever presented a ‘blank sheet’ of paper ~ my words became so invariably lost.

Because, my dears – in the absence of belief, indecision takes hold.

Determined, I set out to make writing my daily practice. Initially, I approached it as somewhat of a ‘test’ – hoping to stave off any lessening of my mental acuity. But, in time I found it a refuge.

Isn’t it always the case that exploration leads to discovery? Particularly, with respect to mindfulness where a focussing in leads to an opening up.

Unsatisfied with the limitations of ‘blue’, I looked deeper into that morning sky ~ until the endless permeations of lavender and faded peony completely captured my soul.

“Better than a thousand sayings Made up of useless words Is one word of meaning Which calms you to hear it.” ~ Anonymous, The Dhammapada

Indeed, for in search of that one word of meaning, I learned that…

A summer morning smells of sweet grass and dampened leaves;

A tree really does dance in the breeze;

And that the robins commence their song at precisely 5:23 each day.

But more importantly I learned that there’s no wound compassion can not heal.

And, all this just in the search to find the most perfect word.

Rather amazing, isn’t it – when we are willing to make discovery our practice.

Namaste, my loves ~ <3