Enjoy the Journey!

On Sunday afternoon, I set out on a road trip from Denver, CO to San Diego, CA. That may not sound like a big deal, but for someone like me who has not especially enjoyed long road trips in the past, it is. I decided to drive rather than fly because I am not yet ready to be on a plane with a couple hundred other people for several hours during a pandemic - masks, or no masks.

I was not thrilled at the prospect of being in my vehicle for approximately 7 hours each day for 3 days – ALONE! J chose not to make the trip with me since he felt it best to stay close to home and available for his business.

My chosen route was south to Albuquerque, NM to visit with a friend; west through Flagstaff, AZ and on to Sedona where I had planned to see a friend, but things changed; then, south toward the U.S. and Mexico border and west to San Diego. It was not the shortest or fastest route, but it afforded me the opportunity to connect with someone dear to me and to see parts of the country I had never seen.

I arrived in San Diego on Wednesday afternoon. I am now sitting here looking out at the beauty of the smoke-screened hills, the evergreen trees, the lush succulents, and the glorious flowers that bloom year-round here. As I reflect on my journey, I am aware that it is in many ways a metaphor for my life, indeed, I would guess for many of us.

As I said, I have never been one to enjoy long road trips. I must admit that there were times each day during those long 7 hours when I wondered if I would ever arrive. I found myself being focused on getting to my destination. At times, I felt like a little kid asking his parents, “Are we there yet?” I certainly was not focused on enjoying the journey.

Just as I found myself focused on getting here, I recognize that I am often focused on outcome. It does not matter on which outcome I am focused. It may be writing a blog post, or preparing and presenting a Sunday message and service, or something as simple as cooking a meal. When I get lost in paying attention solely to the outcome, I am not present for the experience. I miss out on the deliciousness of every moment.

At times, I drove through landscapes of such awe-inspiring magnificence that it quite literally took my breath away. The drive between Flagstaff and Sedona through Oak Creek Canyon is absolutely stunning. The rock formations in and around Sedona are other-worldly and majestic. The tree-covered mountains around Prescott, AZ where I spent Tuesday night are spectacular. The Imperial Sand Dunes in southern California were a shocking and delightful surprise. I was not aware that they existed. Strikingly different than anything I had ever seen; I was mesmerized by them. And the Laguna Mountains just east of San Diego were fascinating. They are unlike any mountains I have seen. They look as if some species of giants intentionally stacked piles of boulders to form the mountains. There were other amazing sites along the way, but these are the ones that captured my attention most.

Oak Creek Canyon, AZ

Sedona, AZ

Imperial Sand Dunes, CA

In-Ko-Pah Mountains, CA

There were also stretches of road along the journey where the landscape was mostly barren, even desolate. The land was parched and dry. There were outcroppings of scrub brush and rocks, but not much to look at. I judged those areas harshly and wished I had been able to avoid them on my trip.

For the vast majority of the trip, I drove along the route following the instructions of Google Maps, not paying much attention to my surroundings, but focusing on the road ahead and the next turn, exit, or rest area. It was just another mundane part of the journey.

The journey of life is much the same. We have glorious experiences of beauty, joy, and delight. We also experience times that seem devoid of all those things when life appears to be dry and barren. Most of the time we live life day-to-day doing the things that may have become routine, or at times boring. Sometimes, just completing one task to get to another.

It is human nature for us to seek out and long for the beauty of life. Those experiences greatly enrich our lives. It is also our nature to judge and do our best to avoid the more challenging and sometimes desolate life experiences. Additionally, we may move through the routine of our days just doing our best to make it through the day.

This trip has reminded me that it is up to me to be present for it all and to look for and choose to behold the beauty in it all, even the things that I judge and would prefer to avoid, as well as the things that I view as mundane.

Life is happening in every moment. I am here to experience life. If I am only focused on the destination, longing for the next wonderful experience, judging the present or moving through my days in a trance, then no one is there in those moments to live this life I have been given.

I get to remind myself to slow down, take a breath, awaken all of my senses and pay attention to everything around me – the sights, sounds, and smells, as well as the subtle energies of the Earth, sky, plants, animals and the other humans with whom I share this life journey. There are so many amazing things to experience.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”

Enjoy the journey!