Excited to be Adrift!
Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 11:24 AM “There are times when the seas and the winds are relatively calm, when we literally set ourselves adrift. We have no worries and no destination. We are sitting still, even as we drift around.” Amy Steindler
This week my husband and I leave on a grand adventure. We’ll be traveling half way around the world to visit dear friends we haven’t seen in more than two years. In some ways it is a homecoming. In other ways it feels like I’m stepping off the high dive with only rolling waves to catch me.
Georgia JWe are going to be on a 50+-foot sailboat, Georgia J, making our way from Sardinia, Italy to Barcelona Spain. In my mind I’ve been envisioning sailing through clear blue Mediterranean seas, sipping festive drinks, and having long leisurely conversations. Lots of sunshine. Reading. Resting. Exploring. On the flip side, we hear it’s been raining with lightening storms causing some rough travel. I hope my seasickness patches are up to the task! My husband also reminded me that all the shipwrecks in The Bible were in the Mediterranean. (Thanks for that one, Honey!!)
Sunday I ran across this lovely website (asacredjourney.net) that reminded me the first step of taking an intentional journey is to select a theme (or as I like to do, allow a theme to select me). I started by posing the simple question: What is my theme for this upcoming journey? and then let the topics flow.
Relationship. Friendship. Balance. Being off balance. Being at sea. Inspiration. Leaving home. Adrift. Bingo!
Adrift – floating without control. Ha! It’s how I’ve felt all summer… not exactly anchored or moored. It has a different quality than flighty or ungrounded. It’s not particularly anxious or unsettling, but there is a certain lack of aim or direction… sort of.
As I pondered this notion of being adrift, a passage from The Book of Awakening kept floating into my mind.
“…the wider her net of designs, the more often she felt a sense of discovery. Regardless of where she had to be, it seemed that the more open to possibility and change she was, the more she felt like every moment she came upon was holding a treasure she was supposed to find.”
This upcoming trip is so NOT about the destination… it’s about widening my nets... remaining open to possibility... seeing treasure in each moment.
So, here I sit a few days before we embark beginning to ponder what it means to be adrift (or drifting) and I wonder what treasures this journey will hold. Bottom line: I don’t know what lies ahead. We never really do, do we?
It’s always best to start where we are. One step at a time. Pack my suitcase. Prepare our house for the sitters. Store up on snuggles with my cat. Gather my passport, pen, and journal. Leave the comfort of home.
I’m going to play with this theme of being adrift along with its counterpart—anchored. I’ve also invited my immensely talented photographer spouse to join me in his own imagery exploration.
What does it mean to go with the flow? How is that different than being adrift or unmoored? Where do I feel anchored? What lifts my sails? Oh, joy! The questions and metaphors are boundless.
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.” Rainer Maria Rilke
I’ve been called to the sea… beckoned to be adrift… delighted for this glorious time spent with loved ones... floating, sailing, discovering. Perhaps you'd like to join me on your own inward journey?
Ponder this: What is calling you?
Onward and Bon Voyage!
Kayce S Hughlett
From our captain:
"The sea sick patches will definitely work. Also remember that Ulysses eventually got home although it took him a while. See you soon."
Water, pilgrimage
Reader Comments (5)
Beautiful! Go with many blessings & lots of prayers: for discovery, being stretched a bit, rest & renewal, Holy Spirit breezes... And getting to be adrift within the anchor of your friends' & husband's love! Awesome! :)
with gratitude for your blessings and prayers, Pam!!
Have fun!! i will drive by your house as i house hunt to make sure it's still standing.
hugs to you guys!!
Lovely post, Kayce. I can feel the gentle movement of the sea and the breath of the wind, and the stillness that keeps you connected to all of us. Bon voyage, and I hope to see pictures and posts and maybe even a lovely book with your ponderings and epiphanies!
Beautifully expressed Kayce! Thanks for the suggestion about letting a theme choose me. As I am preparing to head out on my own travel adventures the theme that immediately grabbed me was "connection". I'll enjoy pondering the possibilities as I pack. Have fun!