Trail Mix #107, April 2nd, 2010, The Journey Has Relevance

I caught an episode of one of those shows on VH1 where they count down the top 40 songs of some era. This one was called "groovy love songs of all time." The list was intriguing, but what was more interesting to me than the show itself was the memories that surfaced as I listened to those catchy 70s and 80s tunes. In some cases I recalled a specific memory where the song was playing on the radio or someone's stereo, and in others it was more of an overall recollection.

Regardless, the experience served as a reminder of just how far I've traveled in this life, and how much has changed since those days. We get so caught up in the day to day routines, and the hustle and bustle of life that we forget life was different once; that we came from some other place in our past. Some of us had good experiences, others not so good. But in either case, who we are today is a result of that journey. Those memories are a part of my inner heritage. How often do we take the time to reflect there, and consider the effects of our life's journey, and the resulting influence on our family and those around us? Have you grown, overcome, or changed for the better?

There's a line in a song I heard the other day, "I'm not who I once was." A survey occasionally of who we once were, and who we are now, is cleansing for the soul. I've lived thousands of days; where did they go? And what have I to show for them? Your life matters more than the eight or so hours you put in at work today. Don't let the sum of today define you. Take a journey backwards. Spend some moments looking forward. The journey of who you are and where you've been has relevance to where you're going and how you get there.

Greg Tutwiler, CCLC, BCPC