We, the Explorers

I find myself unconcerned with time or any other uncontrollable part of life as I drive on a winding road through the back country. Everything becomes simple, my mind clear, and my smile stretched out like a cat sunbathing on a wooden porch. I’ve been on this road before, in a place with a differet name but a similar personality. It’s the feeling you get while rolling up and down these hills that gives this road its identity, not a sign or any combination of letters and numbers. It’s small towns in between large farms, old rusty barns that tell a story of hard work that goes unseen, cattle resting together in the shade of a lone tree, ponds where birds sit on the reflection of an open sky, and the occasional wooded tunnel where trees on opposite sides of the road stretch out to hold hands and cool things down for a bit.

I love traveling down this road, but as conscious I am of its beauty, I am equally aware of my desire to continue moving. This road has no end in sight, only changing landscapes that inspire me to see more. An able body owes it to the world, and to all those who are not able, to continue on. I don’t desire to see it all, only to see it completely and as truly as possible.

Much of the truth of life lives beyond the road’s bend, in that hidden place where our certainty dies and our imagination blossoms. “You know what you don’t know better than you know what you think you know,” says the road. Perhaps  logic is a roadblock between you and your true nature. For the mind, which so desires to make sense of the world, doesn’t experience the moment completely when dwelling on the possibilities of the unknown. As with so many things in life, it’s all about finding a balance. I have discovered much about myself through mental exploration, and while I may be discovering false truths, this process has made me a better man and allowed me to more fully appreciate the moment when I do find myself in it. Happiness and wisdom come from appreciating life, not understanding it.

Just as my body should explore the world because it is able, so should my mind.

We often avoid this road on the never-ending quest to make better time. Why are we so obsessed with getting there faster? Why is the drive not part of the trip? There’s so much joy to be had on the road that moves just a little bit slower. Stop every once in a while to get out of your car and breathe it in, smell it, and listen to the song it sings. Experiences come to the house of an open mind with bread to break and time to share. We, the explorers, are wise enough to invite them in and hungry enough to be content with whatever they bring our way. Shall our appetites never fade, our eyes never cease from gazing, our minds give as much as they take, and our souls rest peacefully when this winding road finally finds a place to stop and call home.