Are We There Yet?
To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here’s where things grow.
Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
“Sit up and look out the window.”
Maybe you heard those words as a kid on a family driving vacation.
If you were like me, you reluctantly complied physically, but not mentally.
There could have been a herd of purple cows line dancing to “Electric Slide,” and my attitude would have been, “What’s so special about that?”
After five minutes of staring at the scenery, I would start in with, “Are we there yet?”
As an adult, I use my mapping app to find the fastest way to my destination.
When planning an international trip, I look for the shortest flight.
Yet, if planning a cruise, I want the longest route I can afford.
Life should be more like a cruise than a plane flight.
On a jet, it’s all about getting to the destination.
On a cruise ship, the journey is as important as the destination.
If we lived as if we were on a cruise, we would enjoy the amenities of the journey instead of killing time until we get to where we want to go.
We tell ourselves, “It’s going to be great when . . . ”
But what if we could enjoy the awesomeness of today?
I remember the first time I saw the ruins of the Roman Forum.
I imagined the people who lived in Rome driving past that fascinating site in a hurry to get to work, honking at the cars ahead of them for going too slow.
We make the same blunder when we focus so much on what we want in the future that we ignore what we already have today.
When focused on a task or a goal, it is tempting to see people around us as tools or obstacles.
“Can they help me, or are they in my way?”
But if we took the time to get to know them, we’d find that they are more fascinating than some rocks from a few centuries ago.
We don’t have to wait for a trip to the Rocky Mountains to enjoy a spectacular sunrise. We just have to get up and look out the window.
Whatever mountain you are scaling, don’t wait until you get to the top to enjoy the trip.
Enjoy the beauty and the climb.
And enjoy the company of your fellow climbers.
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