Growing up, one of my favorite pleasures was riding shotgun in my Dad’s 1971 Buick Elektra 225. For those of you who may not remember when wearing seatbelts wasn’t a law, riding shotgun was the seat next to the driver and often three people sat in the front seat. My seat was literally right next to him, elbows touching, facing the radio. When he first bought the cream colored deuce and a quarter with a brown vinyl top, I could barely see over the dashboard. That seat was my one of my first views of the world. When I was next to him in the front seat of the car, we were going places. And I love going places. I still love going places.
During those rides, most of them to church or something church related, (my father was a minister) most of the joy was the journey. Looking out the window, listening to the radio, seeing all the other cars on the road. Somewhere along the way as I grew older, my focus shifted from the journey to the destination. It became about getting there. Once I got there, there was always another there to get to. To this day, I have to still myself and remind myself; it’s about the journey, not the destination. Being present on the ride, enjoying the travels is all we have because there is no real there. Only here.
Make your journey more enjoyable by ditching the thought of arriving at a destination. When I get the job. When I get the car. When I get the relationship. Where you’re headed in life is bigger than a destination. It’s exciting to know that the map we all have leads nowhere and everywhere, because being on the journey never stops. Being here, being present, being aware along the ride IS the journey. Ride shotgun and take a look out the windows at the beauty of the drive. Try not to make it about getting there but about the way there in each moment.