Pilgrim

I can say that I have always liked to walk. I can remember from an early age enjoying taking a walk. Sometimes to relax, sometimes to reflect, always to be liberated. It isn't that I enjoy nature, as I rarely walk and listen for it. It isn't that I need the exercise, though the marks from my pants around my stomach would suggest otherwise. I have always walked because it is typically the only time that I have found my life to make any sense.

I accept that it is a form of escapism and in many ways that proves to be a concern for some. However, I will argue that escape is sometimes the only way to be safe in the grip of mystery. My life continues to be more and more controlled by various technologies. Calendars that show up on my phone, mail that comes through my laptop, text messages that show up on my iPad are all mediums that demand my attention at every turn. I am constantly bombarded with sounds that come from cars, TV, and other progressive forms of "Destiny" and yet my greatest aggravation- my dogs barking at night. In the end, I am typically bound to what I sense is progress only to find that nothing really seems to be going anywhere.

I wonder if the root of the problem is not the pace at which time and space seem to be constantly fixed. Rather, it is my incredulous spirit of believing that I can control it. I attempt to set schedules that reflect my intentions, I scold my kids when they won't go to sleep fast enough or when they spend the day running through the house screaming. It isn't until I stop long enough to see that like me they are simply pilgrims trekking from moment to moment through a life that is full of wonder and surprise at every turn. The only difference - I know by mental ascent and they know from personal experience.

Soli Deo Gloria