When our daughter was a baby, we read all the books. Yes, I had “what to expect..” One of Chris’s favorite was one about growth spurts. We found it pretty accurate, that certain milestones would happen and we could expect certain things in her life.
God bless those child experts, who gave a roadmap for this very important part of our lives.
A couple years later I was asking my Psychology professor friend about those milestones. “Do they have those for adults too? It seems like once we get to 21 and are allowed to drink, it’s a wilderness.” She agreed there wasn’t much after people hit adulthood.
It’s up to the individual person to make a map. Piecing together from the scraps of the stories I’ve heard and the weeds that grow along the path, I can pick a direction.
Maybe this combination of local foliage will be sustaining….maybe I could try what they are doing over there
Off the map it’s a land of myth, rumor and experimentation.
But I know I’m not going to stay still, so I’d better pick a rumor and explore it.
A brand new adventure, right? That’s exciting. From nothing to the first bit of something is a huge step.
The thing is the next step is a lot less impactful. To live in the myth I have to do the hard work of beign unimpressive for a long time. Just one step isn’t much of an experiment.
The journey of ten thousand steps starts with one step. It don’t’ become ten thousand steps without the 362ndstep. Or that other 7,562. By the time I get that far I better be ready to enjoy the scenery. I suppose my stories help create the map for others.
I’d like to think of the myth of myself I’m creating, but there are a lot of dreary steps to get through first.