If you are like most of us, you have been trained to believe you will find your treasure at the end of the rainbow, not as you travel along its colorful path. You may have been taught that your reward awaits you at the end of your journey. That is not where I have found my greatest treasures.
It’s been my experience that regardless of the outcome I anticipate, creating and implementing my plan is often as exciting and rewarding as achieving the end result. Remember when you planned a surprise, arranged the details for a vacation, the years you were in college to earn your degree, overcame a job loss or spent weeks looking for the perfect home to purchase? As you recall those times, how much of the joy was in planning, preparing or the personal growth and satisfaction you achieved along the way. How much wisdom, character and strength did you develop throughout the experiences?
Life’s journeys are not always easy and certainly not without challenges, however, consider how much richer they make arriving at the destination. The journey is often where the stories are born that vividly color the pages of your life. We look back and remind ourselves of what we accomplished, what we’ve overcome and delight in the progress we’ve made. While intellectually this makes sense, if you are like me, I get impatient to reach the outcome. My focus gets narrow and I want to know when my plans will take shape. When will I arrive? When will I pass through pain and be at peace? Focusing only on the end results can keep us from discovering the amazing reassures available along the way and the challenges we’ve had the determination to overcome.
Reality is that death is the only true end to life’s journey. Our journey continues day after day…one experience following another. The journey encompasses the people we meet, the pleasures we experience and situations and circumstances we can’t control. Changes can alter us forever and losses will impact us with emotion that can leave us feeling hopeless. Our journey is affected by every choice and every action taken. The road is comprised of trial and error, risk, change, opportunities, pleasure and, yes, disappointments and pain. Through it all, however, we learn and grow as we move closer to our destination. This requires patience. We can choose to take time to celebrate and learn from each experience. I am convinced that the real treasures are those uncovered along our life’s journey. The gold is not at the end of the journey. It’s on the path we take along the way. Perhaps, now, more than ever, we need to look for the light of hope to guide us.
