Road trips.

Field trips.

Family outings.  

Whether in the car, bus or aboard an airplane, I spent years of my childhood asking the burning question all kids want to know: are we there yet?!

Eventually I started dreading going places knowing I had to tolerate a seemingly endless void, waiting to arrive so I could get past the “bad part” to get to the “good part”.

As an adult I’ve traveled through some of the same places, retracing the routes I’d so desperately wanted to fast forward through. However, now I notice how much beauty I’d missed along the coastlines and mountains while caught up in my tunnel vision for “the end”.

The same goes for our spiritual path. I’ve often asked am I there yet in myriad ways:

Is this life lesson done already?

When will I stop suffering and arrive at a place of peace?

When will I close this chapter and move on?

When will I gain my strength back and feel better?

So, what can we do with this ever-present inquiry? It’s vital to hold space for hope and keeping our will intact so that we continue moving towards improving our circumstances. However, we must also hold the reality that the very nature of growth involves time. Sometimes we have to take the back roads because of a roadblock and sometimes metaphorical traffic makes the journey even longer.

How can we take in the beauty of the journey while life unfolds?

When I look back at trying times, I see beauty everywhere. I see it in the face of the friends I would’ve never met had I not been in that dark place and circumstance. I find the beauty of being home-bound in the quality time I spent with family that I would’ve otherwise never had if I’d been running through life mindlessly like I used to.  On the long “drive” all things needing my attention showed up. With nowhere to go, I chose to look around and let it transform me. While it wasn’t comfortable to feel so helpless, I took all that time I was “waiting to feel better” and used it to restore integrity to my life.

 So, enjoy the metaphorical music on the way and look at the wonder in its various forms. Challenge yourself to find the beauty no matter where you’re going. Let it move you and expand your view of yourself and the world.