12.05.2010

The Great Wall

A few years ago, my partner and I were lucky enough to be able to take an incredible month-long trip to China. It took about six months of planning and preparation and before that, it had taken several years of “what if”ing to set it all in motion. We wanted to see the Yangtze River before it was entirely dammed. We wanted to see the Potala Palace and Tibet before it’s completely overrun with Chinese. We wanted to ride camels along what had been part of the Silk Road route. And we wanted to walk along the Great Wall. It was, in the truest sense of the phrase, a trip of a lifetime because we were able to do all the things we’d wanted to do and more. We experienced sights and sounds and emotions and awe – things so many people don’t have a chance to ever experience. 

One of the multitude of mysterious and marvelous impressions from that trip has stayed with me in a way that nothing else has—and it’s the powerful reminder that the journey is as important as the destination. Indeed, that the journey is sometimes even more important than the destination. It was cloudy and overcast when we reached the Great Wall. As we climbed higher and farther along the wall into the mountains, we found ourselves walking in the clouds themselves, unable to really see much beyond the grey-green rolling hills just surrounding the wall itself. At first, we were terribly disappointed, raging at the sky and wishing for the sun to break through so we could see the vistas and the land beyond. And as we raged, we started to fairly race to the next tower on the wall, to see if, just maybe, we’d get a better view. And it was then that I stopped us. Just stopped us so we could listen and look around and realize the magnificence of what we were actually doing, of where we were actually walking and standing, of the history, of the moment. We stopped in order to take mental and physical note of the journey itself. It seemed critical then to put aside the “when will we get there” in order to celebrate the “here we are.” And in doing so, we could rejoice in all that had transpired to bring us to that remarkable and special place—to capture the power of all that we’d done and all that the universe had allowed over many years to bring us to where we were right then. No less. No more. And just perfect.

So, we didn’t see the expansive views of mountains and unending wall we thought we’d see; that particular gift, for whatever reason, remained hidden. But the gifts we were given were, I think, far greater in depth and beauty – the gift of the knowledge that we had achieved something magnificent without even recognizing it; the gift of the knowledge that in experiencing exactly what we experienced, our lives were forever changed; the gift of being able to stop and know the now; and the gift of the next “what if” – what if we are able to come back to this place someday and on that day the sun might be shining?

And so it is with our lives and our storytelling. And so it can be with our health and our relationships. Sometimes it’s overwhelmingly vital for our souls and our selves to pay attention to the journey, to appreciate the efforts and the achievements, to allow the clouds to hide secrets not yet meant to be revealed. It seems to me if we’re too intent on only reaching our destination we lose a sense of magic and mystery. For it is by knowing where we are on our journey and letting ourselves be at ease with the unexpected that we will make our way to brilliant and rich destinations –and not necessarily the ones to which we thought we were always headed. How exciting it is to just think...what's beyond the great wall?

(c) emma d dryden, drydenbks llc

11 comments:

  1. Thank you, Emma! I needed the reminder to slow down & pay attention today.

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  2. What a beautiful post Emma and an excellent reminder to live in the moment. I too was lucky enough to visit China a few years ago, on business so I got to see a different China. But being completely out of my usual environment caused me to stop and consider how I had reached that point and where I was going. And why I was designing pottery! These moments can also show us new paths, or put us back on the one we had strayed from. I do hope to return to China one day and see the North. I loved the country and people more than I expected. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  3. I am guilty of being too intent on the destinations in my life--finishing this or that--and not stopping to appreciate the journey. I needed this poetic reminder. Thank you for your inspirational thoughts.

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  4. This was beautiful. I'll be thinking about it all morning. Thanks for the "gift" of sharing your journey and insights with all of us!
    Namaste and a gentle hug,
    Lee

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  5. Beautiful imagery and message. Thank you for sharing this. It makes me think of time as a string of beads pulled slowly from a box, so that we can marvel at each bead as it emerges.

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  6. A new centerpiece for the corkboard beside my computer -- a reminder to let the clouds have their secrets. I've never climbed the Great Wall, but I had this emotion researching in Hawaii. Nearly dark in an old bunkhouse and each time I looked out the window I saw only clouds and smelled the green, but horses surrounded me and bumped into the walls all night long. Whatever led me to that moment was worth it, I thought, and knew if my 11-year-old self had been beside me, she would have thought we were in Heaven!
    Thanks for the reminder and the trip back, Emma.

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  7. absolutely breathtaking, emma, in your words and the describing of the expanse of where you were - but also in the stop-where-you-are-this-instant-and-reflect encouragement you offered. Thank You.

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  8. absolutely breathtaking, emma, in your words and the describing of the expanse of where you were - but also in the stop-where-you-are-this-instant-and-reflect encouragement you offered. Thank You.

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  9. Thank you, Emma, for posting this. It's important to me in many ways - a world of possibilities. Hugs.

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  10. This was great...Thanks for sharing...

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  11. Thanks for this. Lately I've been stuck in the 'are we nearly there' trap. Your post was a needed reminder that we usually spend more time on the journey rather than at the destination, so it's vital to appreciate that path.

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