[lizziebith]

Caminante, no hay camino...Se hace camino al andar. -- Antonio Machado (1875-1939)

From a poem I read about 10 years ago... the translation is, roughly: "walker, there is no road...we build the road by walking."

Ever since I read this, I've felt a sense of peace about my crazy life. I never would have thought I'd be the person I am now -- by this I mean: lead the lifestyle I live, hold the job I hold, have the friends/loved ones I have. The younger me would have been aghast. I'm no longer filled with righteous anger, I no longer cling to people in the hopes that said contact might make me whole, I no longer believe ANYTHING to be true, solid, or absolute. And my years of life have made this so. And, dare I say, happy.

I have built my life, as the poem says, by moving through it, and learning from it. I have NEVER pretended to know what was around the bend, and have been, consequentially, both delighted and horrified by what I've found there. But I've NEVER, ever, been bored or disappointed by life. I've watched it unfold, almost like a disinterested observer, and said to myself: "Wow. Never saw THAT coming."

I believe that every experience I have I take on as my "walker's baggage." I can then use it or discard it as needed, as I encounter each new experience. There is no fate, as the future (and past -- my interpretation of it, at least!) doesn't exist, until some weird accident on the part of all the known and unknown forces of the universe, suddenly forges a new path for me.

I put on my little rucksack, and venture forth, hopefully, and with GREAT interest.