oNe step

"A journey is best measured in friends rather than in miles." - Tim Cahill

JOURNEY is meant to be communal. How do I know this? Because all of life is meant to be communal.

We aren't created to be the Lone Ranger (who, afterall, wasn't 'lone'), Henry David Thoreau, or the Unabomber. These men discovered something about the inner self, something pure.

I'm not using the word pure in a good sense. You can have pure anthrax or pure arsenic. These men discovered, in my opinion, that the pure human soul, by itself, isn't enough. The Lone Ranger needed Tonto; Thoreau needed the beauty of nature (in itself a companion); and the Unabomber was insane.

JOURNEY's do two things to relationships. They cement them, and they try them.

There is nothing like a road trip to create good friends. A friend of mine (our friendship was cemented through a JOURNEY, to India!) spent two years doing amazing spring break road trips. The stories and the language that this friend can use, with his road trip buddies, is on a different level than the ones I use in everyday conversation with him. Those men have a special bond.

My wife and I met through the same trip to India. I would submit that India helped cement our JOURNEY (and tried it). We also did a road trip to South Carolina, which further cemented our relationship.

But JOURNEY's can also try relationships.

Writing Tips - 4

Bird by Bird.

It's a book, by Anne Lamott. The whole book is about writing, and it's a great read. If I manage to purchase a copy anytime soon, I'll make sure to review it in depth, but it's the title that I want to focus on today.

Lamott tells a story about her brother, when he was still in school. He had a project which involved writing about a lot of birds - 50, if my memory serves me correct. Lamott's brother saved the project to the last night, and then broke down because it was too much to do at once.

Lamott's father took him, sat him down on his knee, and told him to take the project and do it bird by bird. One step at a time.

When I sit down and try to write an epic novel (note: I am not doing any such thing) or even a few chapters, it can seem immense. 100,000 words? I can't write that much. I can't even write 100 words right now.

But if I take it bird by bird, it seems much easier.

So take writing, bird by bird. Don't give up.

Also, don't wait until the night before.

Hey Neat-O - 9

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is an index card worth?


A creative way to show relationships:

Indexed

Somebody Smarter Said - 14

"The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too." - Teresa of Avila

One step

"The Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu

JOURNEY's have three distinct parts (and for general purposes, so does everything else). The part that most people are focused on is the endING. That, by definition, is the goal.

The arduous, time-consuming, back-breaking, attention-deficiting, part is the BEtweEN part. This is the part in Lord of the Rings where you start skimming, where you start losing your focus.

And there's the BEGInning. That first step. In some way, it seems that the first step sets the tone for the rest of the JOURNEY. Frodo leaves the Shire in attempted secrecy - and spends a majority of his time BEtweEN there and the endING attempting to move stealthily and in secret.

My wife and I started our JOURNEY eleven days ago. We packed my van full, to the roof, and started driving. We set out hopeful and unsure. We set out with all of our baggage, too. We set out, not wanting to leave what was comfortable, to leave our stuff, behind.

Usually, this is where I would fast forward eleven days and explain the meaning behind it. Today, I want it to be wrestled with. I want to stay in this moment, for now, hopeful, unsure, packed.

The Return

Well, it's time.
Time to return to blogging, and eventually, writing. I've been away for 8 (!) months now, but I think I can plead extenuating circumstances.
In 8 months I've:
Got engaged.
Moved to Jenison (5 miles).
Quit at Dick's.
Hired at DFCU Financial.
Hired at Big Apple Bagels.
Got married.
Moved back to Grand Rapids (5 miles).
Quit my jobs.
Moved to Seattle (2300 miles).
And thus is my story.
For the next week, expect a couple of new features - journey reviews, to start. Also, a return to quotes is probably in order. I should also take stock of my writings.
Here's to another step in the journey.

Somebody Smarter Said - 13

"The success of love is in the loving - it is not in the result of loving. Of course it is natural in love to want the best for the other person, but whether it turns out that way or not does not determine the value of what we have done." - Mother Theresa