The Journey Within The Journey

(suggested background music pairing:  Spinning Wheel, Blood Sweat & Tears, 1969)


So, I went out for a drive this morning.  Those who know me should not be surprised, as this is common for me to do.  My car, and being on the road, is my refuge.  I know many people do not enjoy driving, and some people see it merely as a means to get from Point A to Point B.  I thoroughly enjoy it, and I always have.  For me, being on the open road, seeing the world, being free, is my element.  I crank up my wide (very wide) range of tunes and off I go.  

Today I had a specific destination in mind; I wanted to go to one of the State Parks about an hour south of Rochester to take some winter photographs.  Unfortunately, the park ended up being closed, so today’s drive ended up being one of my regular roaming drives – the kind of drive where I just wander, take random turns, until I feel it’s time to head back.

I enjoy those kinds of drives because I never know what I’m going to come across.  I may find a neat little town.  They all have their post office, their school, their general store/hardware store/grocery store, their little bar.  It’s nice to see people out and about, even if just shoveling snow or waving to a neighbor.  Sometimes the scenery is just relaxing, or inspiring.  Sometimes there really isn’t anything to see.  But for me, my inner self takes in whatever is around me.  My brain is free to wander, work through some things, turn itself off, whatever it wants do.  

And on this drive, as I was traveling along, it made me think that life is not just about the journey, but the journeys within the journey.  The little trips in life we choose to take, or many times are forced to take due to the choices we made before and the directions the pavement runs.  Our journey is a series of intersections and little towns and every junction we have a choice to make, a direction to choose.  Sometimes the route is clear, other times it’s so foggy or rainy we can’t see 10 feet in front of us.  Sometimes we get detoured, and other times, it’s clear sailing ahead.  But each road has its own direction, its own destination, its own character…its own journey.  

So, as with every journey within the journey, after another half-hour, it was time to head home, to familiarity, to the roof over my head - so I can rest up for the next journey ahead. 

And with that, I’ll end this journey within the journey within the journey.