As I currently read the writings of ancients such as Marcus Aurelius', Dante's Comedy, and attempt to write my own 'meditations' I am reminded that life is a series of cycles, patterns, and repetitions.
Modern authors carry on these very same themes. "Adventure is the ultimate pattern interrupt," Karin Kiser puts forth, "By definition, adventure takes you out of all-things-familiar and surrounds you with the new, the exciting and the unexpected." (Unplug Your Robot: The Secret to Lasting Happiness)
Such wisdom calls forth the idea that to break free from what we believe we know and uncover deeper truths, we must immerse ourselves in the unknown.
From my own experience, I've learned that the simple act of taking a walk somewhere new, beyond where I've walked in the past, daring to step beyond my home's threshold, from the familiar into the unknowable, offers unparalleled opportunities for growth and transformation.
Each stride I take somewhere new, every bend around an unfamiliar corner, is a step towards shedding the old skins I wear and a necessary rejuvenation of what I consider to be myself.
When I walked the well-worn path of the Camino de Santiago last fall, many of the assumptions and beliefs I've held close for years were tested, some I rejected, others I was able to elaborate, while many were reaffirmed.
I found it remarkable the effect walking the Way of St. James had on me. Day after day, minute by minute, the newness accumulated and helped me find a certain unnatural courage and confidence to confront the unknowable.
Comfort truly is the enemy of growth, and the beginning of stagnation, if not decay.
Thus, as I reflect on my journeys and write this blog post today, I will make a solemn resolution to embrace adventure as the divine interrupter of the patterns that tether me to ordinary living, like chains holding a prisoner to past deeds.
I pray my penchant for adventure never fails me and ever serves as a guiding compass directing me live the good life while I can.
With gratitude, I acknowledge I must venture; to transform. I must explore; to live fully. And I must step boldly to break the chains and comfort of my illusions.
That is my mediation for today.
¡Viva la Meseta! The best arena I've found to date for wrestling with one's illusions.
Lance v21.977
