Traveling through Life (thoughts for traveling friends)

"Travel Lightly and Travel Deeply"

Traveling through life lightly....In the literal sense, traveling lightly is not usually an issue for me, though a few years ago i would say it was. Every break from school I would pack nearly all of my things and return home. This i would not consider traveling lightly. A more implicit meaning of traveling "lightly" could perhaps mean "without burden". To be honest, I need work on this. I have learned that while you are traveling, the unexpected is what happens. What is expected hardly ever happens, but what is unexpected usually ends up being better than what was expected and makes for fond/interesting memories and stories. I struggle to find joy in the unexpected, though this is an area God is shaping me in. I am a planner. When things don't go as planned, my bullet-point mind gets overstimulated. Life is unexpected. How can I find joy in life if i cannot find joy in the unexpected? It would be nice to be able to find joy in anticipating the unexpected. Traveling through life lightly...

Traveling through life Deeply. In this sense, I have lived deeply. Two summers ago I went to India. I am a poor college student and thus got my shovel out, went to my backyard and started digging. Luckily, Ellensburg is exactly the opposite side of the World as Hyderabad. In this way, i have traveled deeply. You may not think i could travel any deeper, but the more I've thought about it, i think it might be possible. To travel deeply could mean to travel with intentionality. To make it a priority to meet new people, to rekindle relationships, to continue to love, to learn all you can about creation and to interact with it, to bring hope, love and justice to people... descriptors of who God is. To travel through life deeply...

feet shuffling
carrying two times my body weight
life is not following my excel sheet
on autopilot
this is not light

pacing down the street
do not look people in the eyes
do not smile
do not talk to strangers
this is not deep

strolling
chin up
all senses aware, embracing unexpectancies
changes bring life
this is light

sitting,
pondering life in awe
sitting with strangers
learning lessons from the creator
this is deep