Pathfinding or pathmaking? A good question. And the answer is yes… … both, and it depends. Looking back on my life, I’ve been a quiet pathmaker. I’ve stepped out and done things that were not usual in my culture or era. And I’ve created room for others to follow. Yet I have other friends who … Read more
A few days ago, I was reminded of a wise insight from the poet David Whyte: ‘If you can see your path clearly laid out before you, it is not your path.’ It is in the curves, the hidden contours and the unexpected detours that we grow and experience our becoming. Because life is not … Read more
Nearly two years ago, I wrote this poem. It hasn’t lost its relevance. And perhaps its call to walk together is even more pertinent. Who are you with? WE ARE NOT LOST We are not lost… we just need to pause, put away our old maps, see where we are with fresh eyes, hear … Read more
This is the powerful title of a beautiful little book by Parker J Palmer, beloved by many friends. David Marlow reminded me of a quote from it yesterday: “Some journeys are direct, and some are circuitous; some are heroic, and some are fearful and muddled. But every journey, honestly undertaken, stands a chance of taking … Read more
Have you ever seen a duck with a map? Me neither. Yet they get where they want to go, usually in the most direct, ducklike route. It sounds like an absurd question, yet what about us? Maps tell us where we or others have been. They chart what is known. But they can’t create a … Read more
Do we get so caught up in the destination that we forget to be here? Yet this is the only place we can ever be. One foot in front of the other, even in the darkness. And waiting. Not the stuck kind, but the expectant, hopeful sort. The kind that trusts that we can see … Read more
Once you start to notice desire lines, you see them everywhere. From the particular way plants move toward the light, to the paths created through the vegetation as wild and not-so-wild beings move through the valley. The soft fabric of greenery gives ample evidence of repeated movements. Yet even in our dwellings, we notice where … Read more
The paths we create are probably not the ones we thought we were making. We start out thinking of a direction and an endpoint. And on the way encounter beauty, ideas and people we hadn’t expected. Along with challenges, questions and a kind of reality that creeps up on you unawares. So we have a … Read more