Life Journeys
This post is especially meaningful for me and I hope you'll find meaning from it as well.
It starts with a poem by Antonio Machado who was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation of '98:
“Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again. Wanderer, there is no road-- Only wakes upon the sea."
Now, I don't know what that poem means to you, but for me, I get the sense that our life journey is not written or set in stone. In fact, I believe it is created by the choices we make and literally the steps we take throughout the journey. "The road is made by walking".
Some may say that the soul knows the journey but that knowledge is hidden unless perhaps we have an awakening or experience an event where we can see the other side of the veil between the physical life and the spiritual realms, other dimensions, or between life and death.
I actually had a friend who was in a motorcycle accident and while recovering in the hospital he said he was on the other side of the veil before returning to his body. His description of the other side was so vivid I had no doubt he experienced that. He passed away a few years ago from an accident at home. Guess it was his time to leave this life.
I recently celebrated the 68th year of my life journey. It's been a long walk and with many steps to go. It certainly hasn't been a straight or an easy walk. It's actually been quite twisty and bumpy filled with tons of meandering along the way.
Is anyone's journey smooth? Not that I've heard of.
Here's the thing. The twists and turns and ups and downs is what makes life so rich. Would we want it any other way?
Our lives are filled with experience and everyone experiences life differently from everyone else. That's the beauty of our humanity. Our experiences shape how we live and how we interpret each moment.
Consider for a moment the proverbial fork in the road. You take the left fork you have experiences that can only happen on that left fork. Likewise, you take the right fork and you have experiences that can only happen on the right fork.
That my friends is profound!
And, it's not like we have an 'all seeing, all knowing' handbook for living. No. We are actually creating a living handbook with each step!
Chew on that for a while, Jim.
Now for something completely different:
I was recently reminded by a good friend that one of our mutual friends I coached a couple of years ago said, "Glenn saved my life." I've heard this before from different friends and each time I didn't know what to do or how to feel.
When I heard that earlier today I accepted the fact that I coached the young man and helped him get to a place where he could make good choices that saved his life. His experience was I saved his life and I am humbled by his perspective.
I guess it's like giving blood or giving someone CPR or any other life-saving methods.
Our method applies co-active coaching where the client and coach both have 'skin in the game' or in this case, in the coaching sessions. That's what makes the method so rich and enduring. We are equal partners in the best possible outcome for our clients.
So to hear someone say "I saved their life", man, it's humbling on so many levels and definitely not an ego trip. I feel this in the deepest [most ancient?] aspects of me as a coach and aspiring Bodhisattva.
To wrap this up, let me say I've enjoyed writing these posts and hearing from you in response this year. I'll continue to write next year and may move this blog to Substack a different platform that is popular with many bloggers. We'll see and let you know if/when that happens.
I'll be taking a break for a couple of weeks during the holidays and will see you again in January!
Happy holidays from our home in Colorado to everyone.
Blessings to all.
Glenn
"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves." Dalai Lama
