A season of another transition is here.
We have gone through the season of winter, a time of
introspection.
We have entered into the season of spring that elicits our
sense of rebirth and renewal.
Soon, we will be going into the heat of summer, a time when
we get out and play even past the setting of the sun.
Many of us are aware of the fact that we are going through a
chronological transition, as well. Some
of us are going to be spending the last summer time together with a son or a
daughter, who will be heading off to college or maybe they are already
preparing to go on their first adventure. Many of us are transitioning from one
location to another in search of a new life… a new love… a new sense of
meaning.
I remember graduation time at my small local high school in Illinois. It was an intimate affair and of course we
had the graduation parties afterwards. Many of us talked about getting into
college while others talked about getting jobs. We had dreams of doing something. I think that if I had the opportunity to ask
every one of my classmate what their lives would look like decades later; no
one could really imagine how it would look today. Every one of us had successes and losses. A number of us have had the challenges of
health and the turmoil of ruptured relationships; while hopefully most of us have
lived challenging but yet very fulfilling lives
A few days after my graduation, I got into my Buick Century
(two door of course) and drove off to a place south of Gallup, New Mexico. Prior to this time, I had never driven past
St. Louis before and even then that was with some friends; however, here I was
getting ready to drive to a place where I had never been to before and to be
honest was just a dot on a map. Now,
keep in mind this was before cell phones, GPS, and the internet. So, I literally was driving alone.
After three days, I arrived to the road that was supposed to
take me to my destination. I drove past a building that said “Vanderwagen” a
number of times before I pulled in; so that I could ask for directions. As I walked into
the building, I was mesmerized by all of the First American artifacts and the
presence of being near the Zuni and Navajo reservations. The gentleman behind the counter was very
welcoming and asked me what he could do to help me. So, I told him that I was looking for a camp
for Navajo children that I was going to work at for the summer. I pulled out my letter that told me the name
of the town was called Vanderwagen and I wondered if he could give me some
directions. He smiled and said, “Well,
you found Vanderwagen.” I looked at him
rather puzzled and asked him what he meant.
I soon discovered that this location that I was standing in was a
mailstop and… it was Vanderwagen. He did
give me some additional information as how to get to the camp and I left with
mixed emotions.
As I walked out to my car, I realized that I had one of two
options. I could travel down a dirt road and search for the place I was
expected to be at for the summer or I could get in my car and drive back to my
home.
I chose to drive down the dirt road.
We all face transitions and opportunities. If I had not gone to New Mexico, I would have
never had the experience of being immersed in my first cultural experience. It was that experience that eventually led me
to the field of social justice and counseling. If I had not driven down that dirt road, I
would have driven away from an experience that has had a lifelong impact in my
life.
Yes, the road was dusty… bumpy… and winding but it was
necessary. I had to go down that road to
get to where I learned a lot about myself and others.
We all have opportunities that pull us down a road that is
unknown. It is a sense of a calling or a
direct action caused by a passion. We
may resist it or even consider going in another direction altogether. We may
even go down the road and get to the destination; however, because it does not
appear as we thought it would we may both dismiss it and possibly even miss out
on a life changing experience.
Life is never a clean
map. It all has to do with that thing
that we call “tomorrow”. We have no idea
what tomorrow looks like and in the cycle of life we may even become unaware of
what is possible. We look at today and miss its engagement because we are so
enamored by the possible gift of the next day. We also live in a mindset that
is linear. After accomplishing our goals,
we are many times lost because we are looking for the next one.
We live in a natural world that moves in tides. I think that this natural state of being is one
reason we find the sound of the ocean so peaceful. We lay in the sand or sit on
an outgrowth of land while listening to the water come in and the move out. We
see the effects of the evening tides on the sandcastles that we make and we
give no thought to building another one.
I have read recently that the better life is one where we
are being pulled into it as opposed to being pushed into it. Having the choice to say “yes” to a calling
or a direction gives us a sense of freedom.
However, for us to say “yes” we also had to say “no” to another option.
For me to get into my car that day and drive to the camp, I had to say “no” to
going back home.
So, we are in a season of change. We should take the time to know more about
ourselves and what truly pulls us. We will
then have the opportunity to grow in a new way.
We all have this season.
We all have an inner flame that is silently burning within
our soul’s threshold. This inner fire is
either going to grow more intensely or… it is about to go out. A fire needs only a few things but the one
thing that it does need to keep going and to grow is air. So, breathe in the moment.
We need to find a way to not let the light within to go out…
because if we do…
it will be a dark
and cold world.
