Pura Vida
The Pacific Ocean off the shore of Playa Nosara, Costa Rica
“Life’s about the journey, not the destination” – right? We’ve all heard those words a million times. But I’m beginning to think they’re wrong.
Specifically, I’m wondering: Do destinations actually exist? Sure, a literal journey, like driving to Disneyland, ends with a concrete end point – otherwise, how would parents answer the constant refrain of “are we there yet?” emanating from back seats across the land?
But in the more spiritual journeys of our lives (which I think the “life is a journey” quote is meant to evoke) – how exactly do we define “destination”? At what point do we stop traveling, and arrive?
Are we there yet?
Maybe life is all about the journey, period – not “the journey” in relation to a destination, but “the journey” of our lives. In other words, maybe life is all about how we live.
I’m on a yoga retreat in Costa Rica this week. Down here, they have an expression: Pura vida. It means “pure life.” It means: journey well.
Maybe the “journey” IS the “destination” – that being, you’ve arrived.
I like the imagery of life as a journey, but I also know even the best journeys can become tedious, and home is always a reviving comfort (think how good it feels to get back to your own bed!). Must live as if life is a journey? Can’t we live as if we are at home, whatever the moment?
DragonKat – that’s provocative! But I’m not sure what that does to our expectations…if I expect always to be home, that has certain connotations of comfort and sameness that won’t always gel with the discomfort and variety I encounter in life. If we include discomfort & variety under the umbrella of “home” then aren’t we stripping “home” of its real meaning, as a counterpoint to other stops on our journey?
By the way, have you ever explored Buddhism? I hadn’t, really, but dharma talks were part of this retreat, and they focused on questions that are deeply meaningful to me, and that I think would resonate for you too…really compelling blend of spiritual and intellectual…