Friday, April 11, 2014

J is for Journey




“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” 

Before I left for college my mother gave me a poem, which I sadly I have not been able to find again, about life being a journey not the final destination.

I had spent the four years of high school working towards the goal of getting into college.  Now I was prepared to spend four years so I could be an adult.  I was so focused on the goal of college I missed out on the here and now and my astute mother was afraid I would do the same thing for the next four years.  Instead of a lecture she gave me a wonderful poem about the train ride and enjoying all the stops along the way.  This poem was on my desk for all of college and was a wonderful reminder of my mother's love and to enjoy the moment.

The journey of writing has been so much fun, and as Hemingway said, I have a destination in mind but I am really enjoying the trip.

I hope everyone takes a moment to reflect on this and make sure they are enjoying the trip and not too focused on an end result to miss the fun of getting there.

Thanks for spending a few moments here, I hope you enjoyed them.

16 comments:

  1. This is something I really need to work on. Sometimes I get so obsessed with finishing a writing project that I forget it's the process of writing that I love in the first place. Sorry you are not able to find the poem - but what a wonderful memory and a wonderful thing your mother did.

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    1. Juie, Thanks for visiting. I actually posted with the hope someone would recognize it and send it to me. :)

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  2. Great post Kathryn thank you! Yes, much enjoyed. Hope you're finding the time to enjoy life and pause and be in the moment ..
    Garden of Eden Blog

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    1. interesting that we both wrote about life's journey today. I'm so glad you enjoy visiting.

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  3. You're mother was a wise woman. But obviously you were wise as well because you followed her advice and the advice of the poem.

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    1. Bish, nice to see you again. I am lucky that I was blessed with a mother who knew my shortfalls and how to get me to listen to her advice. I was a bit hard headed.

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  4. What a great reminder. Saying "it's about the journey and not the destination" can sound cliche. It is, in fact. But to just remember, pause and look at the next step of whatever you're doing is not cliche, it's living!

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    1. You are doing so many things to live well and examine your life it is great. I know it is another cliche but an un-examined life is not worth living.

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  5. So true! For me, writing is a journey of discovery--I love to write about what I don't know. New genres, new styles, new research. . .everything I am and know is from my writing "travels." Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to reading more of your posts.

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    1. That is great that you have such a wonderful desire to learn and you've found a creative outlet for you knowledge.

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  6. Wise words! I recently began taking a real-live lunch break, during which time I am not allowed to work on anything. I do allow myself to make phone calls, as long as they are calls to friends to simply chit-chat. I can't call the bank, y'know? I think it's so important to remember to enjoy each day along the way. :D

    ~Tui Snider~
    @TuiSnider on Twitter
    My blog: Tui Snider's Offbeat & Overlooked Travel
    I am also part of the #StoryDam team, a friendly writing community!

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    1. That is a great thing to do. I usually use my lunch for blogging and writing. I did give myself one hour on Sunday that the family knows is just for me. For girlfriend day this month we are going to the ren faire.

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  7. That's a good plan. Can't always predict when it's our time to pass, so enjoy the moments.

    Maui Jungalow

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    1. Definitely something we all have to work on to some extent.

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