I figured that I'd give some more details on the "THIS IS MY LIFE" comment from my first post.
Recently I was talking with a friend (we'll call him MA) who has just returned from a multi-month march around Central America, and shared some realizations. MA noted that he had taken a break from traditional job/career-growth type happenings for some of the same reasons that I had, but overall, didn't have that productive of a break.
I figure that working together, his lessons can be my starting points on the break, and thus, in the end our separate learnings can be shared. (Not quite synergistically, but certainly more strongly that each only having our own experiences.)
MA said that he had been searching for some answers to those "big" questions, and I assume he means some of the ones that I'm looking for as well, such as "What is it in my current life that's wearing me out? Is it my job? Is it my field? Is it the country that I'm in?". At this point I inferred that MA had been hoping for a sort of epiphany to occur at the end of the travels/time off. I only infer this because I have a creeping suspicion that I'm expecting the same type of revelation of truth. At this point, MA and I agreed that the end of a vacation is a superficial boundary created by lack of funds and airline schedules (with a bit of societal "normal life" mentality mixed in).
In reality, our little mini-retirements are not a succinct set of experiences, but rather simply one of the many contiguous chapters in the story of our life -- a story that we're writing every day. To expect that the last few pages of each chapter, as delineated by page count, might hold some special properties different that those of every other, all-created-equal pages in our story, is preposterous!
The seemingly-crazy, international set of events put into play by being burned out on our current state of life is a continuation of our journey, but is more importantly our change of direction, our departure from the ordinary, our tack into the wind. What we forget is that this option is open to us each day, and as such, every day is an equal component of our lives! Therefore, lessons can, and need to, be harvested on a daily basis, before events become out-dated, muddled, or forgotten. Lessons are to be learned regardless of page count.
Finally, MA and I discussed how in reality, this mini-retirement I'm taking does not necessarily need to come to a close in a few months. Rather, if I live my travels as I do my everyday life, with a keen eye for new opportunities, then the trip is simply a the next few pages of my story. There is no chapter-end due to plane tickets. There is no job to return to. There is nothing that says this is a bracketed set of experiences.
And hence, simply, THIS IS MY LIFE.
Interesting insights. Can't wait to hear what the actual trip reveals, cause although you might not find total solutions, I'm sure you'll find at least some clarity and a refreshing point of view. Too many cool people in the world not to.
ReplyDeleteI think that travel doesn't necessarily give one any answers to the meaning of life. It does give fresh perspectives and mental relief that might lead to answers.. I do think however that meaningful (and new) experiences in which you form relationships with people and places are more life-changing.
ReplyDeleteWell, that may be true, Tara. The good news is that I'm not really seeking out the meaning of life, but rather, the a start into the glimpse into the meaning of MY life. Subtle, but worth mentioning. :-) Thanks for the good point!
ReplyDeleteI think it is all connected though.. I spent the earlier part of 2006 figuring out just what MY life meant, but its closely intertwined with what life means in general. and each person's interpretation of the meaning of life is very personal and hence becomes the meaning of his or her life :)
ReplyDeleteI think you are going about it just the right way.. spending a significant amount of time in different places - long enough to explore different attitudes and solutions to age-old problems and concerns.