This week, I’m by the sea. And, as I gaze out across the turquoise waters of Hervey Bay, I see an island in the distance. I can’t tell how far away it is, or even how to get there, but I know I’d like to visit it; and that got me thinking – things we seek in life are like that.
Long-term goals are easy to define but difficult to attain – a new house in 10 years, a college degree in 5, and so on. These sorts of long-term goals need a lot of things to go right in a world that we have very little control over. Our health, finances, & relationships all need to be in the right place at the right time over that long period in order for us to achieve what we seek. But, the only thing constant in life is change. When things get uncertain and a bit wobbly, our instinct is to tighten our grip – control more of the variables. But is that the best way?
Might it better to seek a direction rather than a destination? An attitude that says, “that house would be nice in 10 years, but not necessary.” Maybe it’ll take 15 years. Maybe 5? Maybe it won’t be a house, but a unit? Or a townhouse? Maybe I want 3 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms but what I see and fall in love with is 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms? Maybe, within that goal, what I’m seeking isn’t a house, but a home – a place of security and safety where I feel I belong. Maybe all I need to do is get to know my neighbours.
If we think in directions, not destinations, we remain open to the very likely possibility that, on our way to what we think we want, life will give us a few other things along the way; things we didn’t expect but may fulfill a different part of ourselves we didn’t know existed.