The Journey Is the Destination

The "Nature Is My Playground" workshop brought up a few thoughts, questions, and observations. Being in nature and moving our bodies, in public where others can see us, can bring up insecurities in people and makes me think about humans' incredibly controlling and strong-willed egos. Many people think that they could never skip outside, play on playground equipment, or shoot a pretend basketball through a hoop. When our egos keep us from healthfully playing outside, what else are our egos preventing us from doing?

I often ask myself the question, "Would I do this if I was on a desert island?" And if the answer is "yes," then I examine why I hesitate in public. Most of the time the answer is the same and obvious; I care about other people's opinions of me and my actions. There is my crazy, boring, restricting ego again preventing me from living the life that I want to lead- A fun, fiery, adventurous, judgement-free life! Like Sara Bareilles sings, "Release your inhibitions, feel the rain on your skin..."

By wearing our favorite tacky shirt, going make-up less, and playing on playground equipment in public, we empower ourselves by being our authentic selves and empower others by teaching by example, thus leading others to a more conscious, true, awake, and alive world. A world where we experience every moment in true living color by being real and not playing a role that we are supposed to play based on the script that society writes for us. A world in which our experience is not dulled by ego-led restriction by ourselves and by others. Living for your values and not always following cultural norms, for example.

Ask yourself what is important to you. What kind of person do I want to be? Examine your everyday actions and ask yourself if your values are in line with your actions. If they aren't, make adjustments. It may be that your ego is running the show instead of your true self. Again ask yourself, "Am I doing this because I want to or because I care about what others think about some aspect of this situation?"

This last weekend in Mackinac Island, I fell upon a "Life is good" t-shirt that read, "The journey is the destination." The "Nature Is My Playground" workshop is a perfect example of this that then transfers to all aspects of life, too. In the case of the former, it's not about finishing your "workout" in a goal time or burning a certain amount of calories. Rather, it is about enjoying nature, being in your body, and having fun with life. In the case of the later, it's not about living life by someone else's book in order to reach the final chapter. Rather, it is about writing your own biography filled with brilliant, shining detail.

My opinion is that sometimes goals are overrated and make us rush through and compromise our lives. Life becomes more authentic and real when our goal simply becomes making every moment joyous, fun, loving, kind and positive. How can we go wrong when our "journey is our destination..."

Kelly