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| The joy is in the journey. |
When I turned 30 my dear
friend gave me a birthday card. On the front was a older man,
balding, and wearing suspenders. He was in the act of pushing a car that had evidently run out of gas. The road in front of him seemed to stretch
infinitely into the distance. On the roadside was a sign that read
“Next gas 210 miles.” The inside of the card said, “The joy is
in the journey”
At times the road seems
long--long and hard with no end in sight. We might feel we are unequal to the task. We may feel burdened by the miles ahead. But what if we could focus our efforts on being happy now-- despite whatever the the road we travel brings--and take joy in the journey? If we get to where we are going but find at the end that we have become bitter, resentful, angry, discouraged, faithless, then where is the joy? I often struggle along, unhappy and just wanting life to be easier and missing the beautiful scenery and breath-taking vistas along the way. I don't want to do that anymore.
I have a favorite quote that says, "The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days waiting for better ones ahead." So that's what I'm going to try to do. Enjoy life. For the next thirty-one days I'm going to share my joyful journey with you. I'll share what I'm learning some days and what has brought me joy on other days. I already know that it isn't going to be easy. There will be pot holes, uphill pushes and flat tires on the trip, but I hope when I reach the end, I will be not only happier, but wiser, more humble, more grateful, more gracious and closer to being the woman that God wants me to be.
Do you want to come along? The journey of a thousand miles (or 210 miles) begins with a single step.
p.s. Here's a button that you can put on your blog. It will link you right to my "Joy in the Journey" posts so that you don't miss any.
9 comments:
Best wishes on your journey!!
I am packing you a virtual care package for your journey these next 31 days...it's a picnic basket full of Root Beer and/or Cream Soda, your favorite snacks, some wonderful music for the "drive," extra film for your camera, and other treats. Pretend it's sitting right beside you in the car. It's extra fuel for the trip. And I think I will join you from here. :)
I love it! Sounds like a great plan. Count me in!
I love road trips! Especially the ones where we run out of gas and have exciting adventures that were not part of the original itinerary. Isn't that where the real living begins anyway? ;)
I am so glad I found you through 31 Days - looking forward to your posts. I'm going to try and post each day as well on Library Living. Oh, how I heart the library...
xoxo michele
Ca-ute button!!!
I love this series you're doing. It's at the root of all of the changes in my life. I'm a big believer that, in the end, joy IS the easier choice.
Jill, this reminds me a lot of one of my favorite poems. It's a Greek poem named Ithaka written by the poet C.P. Cavafy. I'm sure it's better in the original Greek, but the translations is sufficiently beautiful for my taste.
Love love love this!
hugs,
Kitty
A beautiful image and such a beautiful post. Enjoying the journey is so important... thanks for reminding us to do so!
Count me in too :)
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