No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering

Maybe life as you know it has shifted. But just because you’re lost doesn’t mean you can’t explore.

Magic happens when you head out into the unknown with wonder in your right hand and terror in your left.

Life is about trust. Nothing happens until you take a step out. The universe gives nothing to those who do not trust.

This was the rhythm of travel - exhausting marathons of movement punctuated by surprising moments of calm where time slowed and there was nowhere to be except right here, floating, eyes closed.

You might be surprised,' she laughed. 'Maybe life as you know it has shifted. But just because you're lost doesn't mean you can't explore.

A choice to give myself to the world without any promise that life would make sense or end up with a neatly tied bow.

My unfurling began with stillness. Instead of sprinting from terror or trying to karate chop the emptiness away, I set out a welcome mat. If I was going to be mad, I might as well acquaint myself with madness. It was an open house for monsters and I turned none away. I sat breathing in and out, sometimes for hours, as a parade of pronged horns, sharp claws, and hungry jaws moved past, invisible bodies breathing hot against my neck. (p. 240)

I don't think I'm entirely on board with the 'do what you truly want to do' school of thought. Not without a little more nuance. There has to be an anchor in the wide-open space. Otherwise, 'doing what you truly want' isn't an authentic attempt at exploration -- it's just another hyper-individualistic credo masquerading as something grand. I mean we're all gung ho about pursuing personal freedom, but why do we want it? If we never constructively apply it to something beyond ourselves, and if it doesn't deepen our sense of connection and humanity, then what's the point?

In addition to being statistically unlikely, perfectly fulfilled expectations are boring. We assume that we, in our infinite wisdom, are capable of imagining the best, most optimal outcomes for ourselves. But as it turns out, unfettered reality and unexpected detours are often the very things that force us to come into our own.

Everything is, in any event, fated to disappear. Judged against eternity, how little of what agitates us makes any difference.