The Approach is the Destination

Do you ever learn something radical that you all ready knew?

I have known for decades- decades I tell you!- that life is the journey, not the destination. I mean, didn’t that come out as a greeting card or after school special when we were in high school? I’m sure there is a prehistoric cave picture with the same sentiment. Heck, I- my, my very self- have BLOGGED on this.

But I lose sight of that truth way too often.

And I get into Destination Thinking.

When I’m married…When I’m divorced…When I have a baby…When the baby is older…When I move…When I feel settled…When I’m thin…

When I am somewhere else.

But it’s more than that. It’s not just looking for a destination, it’s the emotional wrenching I put myself of not being there or – once I’m there- staying there.

For example- oh, I don’t know- remembering life is the journey. I get it! I know it!

And then I drift. And I never drift anywhere good. I never drift to the island with fruit and colorful birds and friendly natives. I land on the deserted one with quicksand and biting flies.

So, guess where I was recently? Right.

SO I read Matthew McConhaughey’s commencement speech for University of Houston. Now, you may ask why I read it, but that is probably because you failed to look at his picture closely enough.

And I had also heard it was pretty good.

So my first thought is, I wonder if you could see his dimples from the cheap seats. My next thought was, this guy talked a long time. And it was probably humid there.

But my third- and most relevant to the post at hand- was

THE APPROACH IS THE DESTINATION. That is BRILLIANT.

I am considering this for a tattoo. But for now, it’s just hand written on a card on my bulletin board.

So I re-learned this truth for the millionth time and then started beating myself up losing sight of this so often. Why am I here again????

And this hit me. And this part is new:

Being here again is part of my journey.

It is part of my approach.

Learning a truth is not a destination any more than anything else.

Drifting away is part of the journey.

And needing to check in and see how my journey is going so– if I land on the island with the biting flies, it is a SHORT visit– is

ALL PART OF THE JOURNEY.

The approach. It’s not the where, it’s the how.

It’s a good way to think about things. And I’ll forget it.

And then I’ll remember it. And it’s fine.

It’s all part of my journey.