When it comes to living an authentic life, one that feels right to you on a soul level, we often meet up with challenges that push us off the path. Also, from my work with people, my own life experiences, and from reading and contemplating great writers and thinkers who have traveled this path before me, I have found that those who stay the course, are the pioneers and those who don’t are the one’s left behind worrying about safety and security and getting old disappointed by the minute.
I was thinking about the idea of being an explorer, a pioneer, a trailblazer this morning and a scene from a PBS program I saw not too long ago came to mind. It was a dramatized version of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In this particular scene the men were exhausted, hungry and ready for it to be over. They had not only run out of provisions – food and water – but were on the brink of emotional and physical collapse. They had been on the expedition for well over a year and were ready for it to be over. They had encountered biting insects, poisonous snakes, thorny plants, bad weather, extreme temperatures, violent storms, hail, flooding, getting lost, stress, starvation, lack of sleep, exhaustion, aches, pains, and the depletion of trade goods. Not only that, but some of their horses were stolen by Indians and others had fallen off the trail and died. It had not been much fun. But now they had climbed to the top of a great mountain and were ready to see the Pacific Ocean. It was the Continental Divide and they reached it on August 26, sixteen months after leaving Illinois. The men climbed the last few steps to the summit - expecting with all their hearts and souls - to see the ocean in all its magnificence, but instead what they saw was another group of mountain ranges, as far as the eye could see – with no open land and no glint of sun off the ocean. Talk about disappointment, talk about utter frustration and fatigue.
This can happen on any journey, especially one where you are blazing new trails or are exploring new territory, just when you think you have reached the summit - the end of your journey - you find several new mountains to climb and new lands to explore. It can make you crazy – at least for a little while, or it can spur you on as it did the men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
I was thinking about the idea of being an explorer, a pioneer, a trailblazer this morning and a scene from a PBS program I saw not too long ago came to mind. It was a dramatized version of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In this particular scene the men were exhausted, hungry and ready for it to be over. They had not only run out of provisions – food and water – but were on the brink of emotional and physical collapse. They had been on the expedition for well over a year and were ready for it to be over. They had encountered biting insects, poisonous snakes, thorny plants, bad weather, extreme temperatures, violent storms, hail, flooding, getting lost, stress, starvation, lack of sleep, exhaustion, aches, pains, and the depletion of trade goods. Not only that, but some of their horses were stolen by Indians and others had fallen off the trail and died. It had not been much fun. But now they had climbed to the top of a great mountain and were ready to see the Pacific Ocean. It was the Continental Divide and they reached it on August 26, sixteen months after leaving Illinois. The men climbed the last few steps to the summit - expecting with all their hearts and souls - to see the ocean in all its magnificence, but instead what they saw was another group of mountain ranges, as far as the eye could see – with no open land and no glint of sun off the ocean. Talk about disappointment, talk about utter frustration and fatigue.
This can happen on any journey, especially one where you are blazing new trails or are exploring new territory, just when you think you have reached the summit - the end of your journey - you find several new mountains to climb and new lands to explore. It can make you crazy – at least for a little while, or it can spur you on as it did the men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Most of us, when we reach our middle forties and early fifties will reach this Continental Divide of our lives. Many of us, coming to this point will think we have reached the peak of our lives, but like Lewis and Clark, we have only gotten to the top of one mountain only to be faced with many more to be climbed before we reach the Pacific Ocean of our trip. This can be daunting but it also can be exhilarating.
In fact, what I find is, that exhilaration is exactly what we need at this point. But this is a new paradigm – it’s not the one our parents used, or even the ones some of our neighbors and friends are using now. Oh, sure, we have the midlife crisis paradigm of chucking everything in our life and going off on an odyssey to regain our youth but regaining our youth, that is, denial of our age and pretending to be our younger self, is not what being at the continental divide of life is all about. The paradigm I am talking about here is one where you engage with the challenges, opportunities and possibilities of this stage of life in a growth oriented, learn new things way rather than either denial or resigned acceptance.
When I say acceptance I mean accepting that after a certain age it’s all downhill from there; this is fatalistic thinking and does not serve you or society. We need vital, engaged, growth oriented citizens who remain this way until they transition into the great beyond. We do not need people who act as if they are teenagers their entire lives or who accept aging with resignation and regret.
So today, if you find yourself on the Continental Divide of your life, I say good for you, this is exciting, this is challenging, this is worth the trip. You might need to camp out for awhile like Lewis and Clark did, getting things together for the next leg of the journey, but don’t get too comfortable. Spend some time in reflection, spend some time gathering what you will need on the trip, but make sure you keep moving and keep climbing and traversing those hills and valleys so that the second act of your life is as grand and satisfying as the first.
And by the way, if you need a scout, a guide, a seasoned Continental Divide crosser, then give me a call, it's what I'm called to do. I love to help fellow pioneers in whatever stage of the journey they happen to find themselves.
Blessings, Lorraine
In fact, what I find is, that exhilaration is exactly what we need at this point. But this is a new paradigm – it’s not the one our parents used, or even the ones some of our neighbors and friends are using now. Oh, sure, we have the midlife crisis paradigm of chucking everything in our life and going off on an odyssey to regain our youth but regaining our youth, that is, denial of our age and pretending to be our younger self, is not what being at the continental divide of life is all about. The paradigm I am talking about here is one where you engage with the challenges, opportunities and possibilities of this stage of life in a growth oriented, learn new things way rather than either denial or resigned acceptance.
When I say acceptance I mean accepting that after a certain age it’s all downhill from there; this is fatalistic thinking and does not serve you or society. We need vital, engaged, growth oriented citizens who remain this way until they transition into the great beyond. We do not need people who act as if they are teenagers their entire lives or who accept aging with resignation and regret.
So today, if you find yourself on the Continental Divide of your life, I say good for you, this is exciting, this is challenging, this is worth the trip. You might need to camp out for awhile like Lewis and Clark did, getting things together for the next leg of the journey, but don’t get too comfortable. Spend some time in reflection, spend some time gathering what you will need on the trip, but make sure you keep moving and keep climbing and traversing those hills and valleys so that the second act of your life is as grand and satisfying as the first.
And by the way, if you need a scout, a guide, a seasoned Continental Divide crosser, then give me a call, it's what I'm called to do. I love to help fellow pioneers in whatever stage of the journey they happen to find themselves.
Blessings, Lorraine
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