Just Thinkin'

I kept a log of France. It was quick, uninspired, un-poetic. It was functional.

I wanted to keep track of all the places I was seeing; all those beautifully foreign names seemed bent on slipping through my fingers. I figured if I wrote them, cataloged them, they’d somehow find more permanence.

They have – kind of. Now I wonder: why was I so worried about ancient names to ancient cities? I should have written down the words, the expressions, the daily hugs that came from Noah, Isaac, and Bentley. Turns out those are the things that slip away, the moments that are precious and only for a moment.

Who wouldn't miss these awesome kids?

Bon Voyage - thanks to Proust

“The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

At the Getty; discovery via my camera lens.

This statement is so full of truth, I am almost speechless. Almost. True, Proust is known to have spun a few pearls here and there, but this one is the one that is speaking to me today. There are times that (and I feel I am not alone here) I am in need of a new discovery. Whether it be a discovery of self, of others, or of Nature, it makes no difference. It is simply a desire to remind myself that there are so many things out there, so many new places still to be seen, so many new friends still to be made , so many dreams still waiting to be fulfilled.

There are also times that those new discoveries seem so far out of reach. The idea that a new place has to be far and exotic or that dreams are destined to remain abstract can mysteriously turn into a tangible weight. The calculations of making new discoveries don’t seem to add up.

Then, (oh, the wonderful then), I come across something written in the early 20^th Century, and it is exactly what my soul needs to be reminded of. It has been said many different ways, this idea of attitude over circumstance, because it is truth. It is a truth I am glad to exercise – in taking a familiar hike with a friend expecting new inspiration or reading a memorized Scripture ready for God to speak to me anew.

What new discoveries await when we reset our mindset? So, so many, I feel.