
Haven't we all had those Chevy Chase "Vacation" moments on a journey? I personally don't know anyone who's ever taken a perfect vacation, even if they were going to the "Walley World" dream destination.
Wait a minute, I forgot my thread. Where was I going with this before I got detoured by a bit of crazy? Oh yeah, the reason for the journey. Hold on, I've got to look up metaphor. Thank goodness for the good old Merriam Webster on my phone. Think I've got it figured out now, here we go!
In education we call them "social stories", ways to teach a lesson in story form. We certainly have lots of travel/social stories to learn from, don't we? Think of the Hebrew children trekking through the desert, or Jonah, or the Apostle Paul. Then there's all those crazy explorers and Pilgrims who headed out for the unknown, Columbus, Lewis and Clark . . .
Not into Scripture or history? How about fairy tales? Somebody's always going someplace, Red, Ella, those littering kids. And we still are on journeys . . . March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom . . . One Giant Leap . . . walking for a cause, like leukemia, cancer, or birth defects.
But do we always know the reason for the journey? In the midst of my mess, when I'd made a career changing mistake, a colleague sat in my dimly lit office and said with all the sincerity her amazing heart could muster, "I'm the reason you're here." I'll never forget that! In that simple statement, Kristina had given me a sense of purpose and of hope; she gave me a reason for the journey.
Some esoteric philosophers may say "life is a journey". I think life is filled with many journeys. Where have your journeys taken you? What have you learned along the way?
I'm linking this post to Giving Up on Perfect and Coffee for Your Heart.

9 The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.