Thanks, John. After I retired last summer, my wife and I are taking the leap to move two states over (closer to family), and your essay here resonated. We have discussed moving for several years, but suddenly there was greater urgency to make this move now and not at some nebulous time in the future. Letting go - of familiar patterns, a beautiful and comfortable house, a few acquaintances - and straining ties to a couple of good friends seems worth it for the new horizon that beckons - that ‘living in motion’.
Congrats on retirement and your new life two states over, J. C. We moved one state over in 2017 when I retired from law enforcement to go be a writer. Enjoy the journey and thanks for reading.
Hi John....lots of truth in your latest. Thanks for this. I left the US in 2012, a big step at 61 years old with nothing but a backpack. The trip since has absolutely been worth it. Cultures teach us to live in boxes but I can not help but wonder if its not some of the hunter/gatherer DNA that remains nascent, buried and is only alive with new places. Some of your earlier work highlighting your trips abroad seems to echo some of what you have written here. Good on you for this. I cant imagine ever deciding to "stop"......
Thank you so much, John. Your words are always so intimately authentic - I’ve been grappling with fears & safety & comfort & discomfort for awhile - living for 33 years in Hawaii and considering moving to the mainland for all sorts of reasons -financial, family, and more. One of the Toughest decisions I think in my whole life. I’m trying to welcome the fears and quietly release them… not so easy…
Big changes are scary, difficult, fraught with doubt and uncertainty—so I understand, Marcia. Seems for me, most of the big changes in my life were worth it. And sometimes the things I initially didn’t like ended up for the best. Wishing you peace and the best possible outcome.
‘At some point the fear of staying grows larger than the fear of leaving. Then, quietly and without ceremony, you step forward.’
I lived these words when I left my marriage. The fear of staying finally grew so heavy that it tipped the scale and pushed me out the door. I’d say there was a ceremony to it, but it was quiet one.
Such a wonderful relaxing summary of life in real terms. Not just plane. I was as frightened to get on the high speed train in Europe as John was to board the first flight. Coming back was a new world. Thank you John.
Thanks, Quentin. Elevators are another one I’ve never been enthusiastic about. I can climb trees and rocks and trust my own ability, but I feel trapped in planes and elevators. Trains, however, are fine. I like being able to watch the landscape go by. Thanks for reading.
Thank you, Brenda. Tao Ti Ching is all about letting go of ego, living in harmony with the natural flow of life, embracing simplicity, and I suppose I touch on similar themes in my work. I’ll have to revisit Tao Ti Ching—I had a jujitsu instructor who introduced me to it many years ago. Thanks for your comment.
Excellent truths, thanks John. We are our choices, as Sartre mused. I am often surprised about how afraid people are to explore and to see with new eyes.
I agree. Fear dissuades many from exploration, risking, and discovering. And so they tread water, never swimming to new shores or braving what lies downstream.
Yes, life reveals itself in motion. Sometimes there is the pause where we feel directionless but often there is something quietly building in that lack of motion and when it's ready it will present itself. Once that happens we may have the uncomfortable sense that staying the same will be worse than pushing forward. Great essay, thanks John.
Hi John-wonderful thoughts as always. It really resonates with me as I am in the middle of a book where my co-author and I take real stories from “ordinary” people and compare them with The Odyssey…or more broadly, The Hero’s Journey. You very eloquently described the initial “answering of the call”. Thanks for sharing your work with us.
Roman- Sounds like an interesting book. I suppose we’re all Odysseus, charting our own hero’s journeys as the gods toy with us and we fight to return home to our Ithacas and waiting loved ones.
The feeling you describe is not unfamiliar. But the place to go has not reveiled itself yet. But the fact that you write about it now, seems like serendipity.
I don’t doubt that your creative eye and artistic instinct see many things, Walter, and I agree that there are ways of knowing and sometimes we have to trust that mysterious knowledge even when its logic or truth is blurry. Thanks for reading.
Thanks, John. After I retired last summer, my wife and I are taking the leap to move two states over (closer to family), and your essay here resonated. We have discussed moving for several years, but suddenly there was greater urgency to make this move now and not at some nebulous time in the future. Letting go - of familiar patterns, a beautiful and comfortable house, a few acquaintances - and straining ties to a couple of good friends seems worth it for the new horizon that beckons - that ‘living in motion’.
Congrats on retirement and your new life two states over, J. C. We moved one state over in 2017 when I retired from law enforcement to go be a writer. Enjoy the journey and thanks for reading.
Hi John....lots of truth in your latest. Thanks for this. I left the US in 2012, a big step at 61 years old with nothing but a backpack. The trip since has absolutely been worth it. Cultures teach us to live in boxes but I can not help but wonder if its not some of the hunter/gatherer DNA that remains nascent, buried and is only alive with new places. Some of your earlier work highlighting your trips abroad seems to echo some of what you have written here. Good on you for this. I cant imagine ever deciding to "stop"......
Many thanks for your insight, photos and words.
Wow, Carr, taking the leap at 61 with just a backpack. Amazing. There’s so much life and world out there. Kudos to you for chasing it.
As a pastor once preached, you have to dare to let go of the old bar before you can fly through the air and catch the next one.
Yep, if we hold on to something with both hands for too long, we have nothing left to catch what’s coming next. Thanks, Bob.
One of the best posts I've ever read. Almost 70 and determined to have miles to go before I sleep - thank you!
That’s the right attitude, Jacqueline. We all have promises to keep, and miles to go before we sleep.
Thank you so much, John. Your words are always so intimately authentic - I’ve been grappling with fears & safety & comfort & discomfort for awhile - living for 33 years in Hawaii and considering moving to the mainland for all sorts of reasons -financial, family, and more. One of the Toughest decisions I think in my whole life. I’m trying to welcome the fears and quietly release them… not so easy…
Big changes are scary, difficult, fraught with doubt and uncertainty—so I understand, Marcia. Seems for me, most of the big changes in my life were worth it. And sometimes the things I initially didn’t like ended up for the best. Wishing you peace and the best possible outcome.
‘At some point the fear of staying grows larger than the fear of leaving. Then, quietly and without ceremony, you step forward.’
I lived these words when I left my marriage. The fear of staying finally grew so heavy that it tipped the scale and pushed me out the door. I’d say there was a ceremony to it, but it was quiet one.
It can be unceremonious, but freeing none-the-less. Thanks for reading, Karin.
Such a wonderful relaxing summary of life in real terms. Not just plane. I was as frightened to get on the high speed train in Europe as John was to board the first flight. Coming back was a new world. Thank you John.
Thanks, Quentin. Elevators are another one I’ve never been enthusiastic about. I can climb trees and rocks and trust my own ability, but I feel trapped in planes and elevators. Trains, however, are fine. I like being able to watch the landscape go by. Thanks for reading.
Lovely. Your writing sounds like the Tao Ti Ching. So wise and clear.
Thank you, Brenda. Tao Ti Ching is all about letting go of ego, living in harmony with the natural flow of life, embracing simplicity, and I suppose I touch on similar themes in my work. I’ll have to revisit Tao Ti Ching—I had a jujitsu instructor who introduced me to it many years ago. Thanks for your comment.
Beautifully said. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Tami. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Excellent truths, thanks John. We are our choices, as Sartre mused. I am often surprised about how afraid people are to explore and to see with new eyes.
I agree. Fear dissuades many from exploration, risking, and discovering. And so they tread water, never swimming to new shores or braving what lies downstream.
Yes, life reveals itself in motion. Sometimes there is the pause where we feel directionless but often there is something quietly building in that lack of motion and when it's ready it will present itself. Once that happens we may have the uncomfortable sense that staying the same will be worse than pushing forward. Great essay, thanks John.
Yes, I’ve had directionless pauses, where I’m not sure what’s next. But then what’s next unfolds. Thanks, Donna.
On a trip across the country by myself, I changed my mind about my fear of flying. I have the power to change myself! Who'd have thunk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Mind over matter, I suppose. Thanks, Paul.
You’re welcome. Your sentences are often deceptively short and simple but they run deep. Thanks for your great writing.
Glad you enjoyed it, Brenda.
Hi John-wonderful thoughts as always. It really resonates with me as I am in the middle of a book where my co-author and I take real stories from “ordinary” people and compare them with The Odyssey…or more broadly, The Hero’s Journey. You very eloquently described the initial “answering of the call”. Thanks for sharing your work with us.
Roman- Sounds like an interesting book. I suppose we’re all Odysseus, charting our own hero’s journeys as the gods toy with us and we fight to return home to our Ithacas and waiting loved ones.
The feeling you describe is not unfamiliar. But the place to go has not reveiled itself yet. But the fact that you write about it now, seems like serendipity.
Hope wherever it is that eventually calls to you, Ingrid, is both serendipitous and wonderful.
not a minute too soon or too late
I see things that you might not realize and perhaps it does not matter but I see them anyway and so I make a mental note
have you left or are you still here and perhaps you learned whatever lesson you were meant to learn or perhaps you have not
and yes there are ways of knowing
what is next
I don’t doubt that your creative eye and artistic instinct see many things, Walter, and I agree that there are ways of knowing and sometimes we have to trust that mysterious knowledge even when its logic or truth is blurry. Thanks for reading.
no thanks are necessary
I read what I can when I can
and it all makes sense always