Questing
I recently read a memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert called "Eat. Pray. Love." What a lovely book! It's about a woman's yearlong spiritual quest after a painful "wakeup call" divorce, where she goes to live in Italy, India and Indonesia (Bali) for four months each.
Italy was to explore the senses and pleasure. The four months in India were spent at an ashram, meditating and doing service work. Bali was to experience a life lived in combination of the two. She starts out lost, confused, depressed, and riddled with anxiety and fear. She ends up centered, happy, and feeling more deeply on her Path.
I also saw the movie "Into The Wild," a story about a young man, angry at his parents and society so he goes off, pennyless, to discover Life. He ends up in Alaska. He ends up discovering, after having been alone for months, that happiness is best when shared.
I've been thinking about quests lately. I've been on a bit of one here, although it didn't involve traveling in the outer world sense. Mine is more inward. It continues to go well. Things shift some then momentarily revert...then shift lots more. I am Blessed.
My greatest gift is, I guess, more of a relearning or perhaps a deeper understanding: that the deeper I do inside myself, the more I want to engage in Life; and that the more I learn, the more I discover I will never understand or know anything.
I find that quite beautiful.
Art:
Buddha Swirl from here.
9 comments:
I'm glad to hear from you. I was delighted to see you'd written a post.
Those sound like good insightful stories.
I just love stories that make me think and feel. don't you?
Thanks Greenwoman, you're a sweetie...I feel so...internal on some levels it's difficult writing. But I hope to get the urge more.
And I do, yes. I seem to be most attracted to biographies, memoirs, journals and blogs (mini versions) these days. I'm not at interested in reading philosophical treatises or teacher's manuals. I want to hear about experience.
Hugs your way-
I've been thinking about quests a lot too lately. I am restless and irritable, wanting something so bad but I have no idea what that something is. But that's not new, that's been my whole life.
Ha...yeah, Deb...so true for me, too.
I do, however, go through more intensive periods. This one's been a trip.
Hugs.
Hm....blogger weirdnesses...published that last comment three times. We Love You, Blogger...
We are all on a path, a journey, a quest. I love the word quest for it brings to mind something valuable, something great. A quest to me speaks of a defined purpose. This is a great word to describe the journey that I am on. Thanks for this.
You bet, Mark. I love that word, too..kinda gives it a romantic, poetic feeling to me.
Blessings!!
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