The Journey

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." ~ Lao Tzu

Or, in my case, a thousand "one steps," in all directions.

If I had left imprints of all the steps I've taken on this thousand-mile journey of my life (remember the Sunday comic, "Family Circus?"), the path would resemble nothing so much as an enormous wad of tangled yarn, with no end piece to mark the beginning of the journey, the conclusion, or even the direction taken.

I am 58 years old now, with no clearer picture of my "path" than ever.

I think I'm pretty much done with adventure in this lifetime, yet -- as I write that, a little voice is screaming, "NOOoooooo!" When I was young, I never understood the expression, "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Well, hell's bells I understand it now. Every single day is a battle of wills; the Peter Pan inside my head yearning for youthful adventures, at thunderous loggerheads with my aging, ever-lazier body whimpering, "come back to bed."

A more fitting quote for me: "Inside every old person is a young person screaming, 'what the hell happened??'"