In a conversation with my friend Janie a few weeks ago we were talking about our mutual inner conflict between being 'settled' - having a consistent home place, watching seasons pass from the same vantage point, building a community and the security of a consistent life-pace - and being transient adventurers. We both experience some similar inner conflicts around these two choices and are probably both guilty of wanting both at the same time. Well, I know I am. I crave the wandering life, to spend extended time on expedition, travel to new places, master some new self-propelled mode of travel, instruct in a new course area. At the exact same time I dread the departure; I seek the stability of place that most of my counterparts have long since settled into (while I have left them behind and vice versa).
In recent months, after a rather absurdly eventful year in my personal, professional and family life I have made a commitment to myself to work on the 'staying put' aspect of my life path. To pay attention to and revel in slowness and sameness, to resist the urge to flit off madly in all directions like a dog in a squirrel colony.This is the starting point for this blog. An exploration of the art of staying still. Stay tuned.
