The Map

I didn't write much about my vacation this year--I dunno, I just didn't feel like it. It was a week of introspection and one where I sort of drew some lines for myself personally. So, while I looked like I just wanted to chill on the outside, my mind was busy thinking on the inside. And let me tell you, that did not go over big with those around me.

I like getting older because I find that I do things now that entail less drama and create a whole lot more zen. And as time goes on, I like how I feel without engaging myself in others' problems, worrying about who is doing what, and taking the path of least resistance.

I've been doing more of that lately, kinda just laughing more and keeping an even keel to my life--I like the calm that it brings. I like making the extra effort to find fun in things and handling the problems of life that arise and moving along back to peace. It's a good feeling and definitely a good place for me to be.

One of the fun things we did on vacation was to take a trip to an old coal mining camp. There was a slow train ride up to the camp where we spent the afternoon walking around learning about the history of the area, and then enjoyed the leisurely ride back again. It was cool to take a trip back to a time when life was a whole lot slower--albeit a little dirtier.

Standing there amazed at the map of mine tunnels, it struck me that it looked like my brain. Lots of channels and pathways to go--it is just a matter of choice of what direction to take. And while some of those tunnels lead to bounty, still others can lead to dead-ends. Even more scary were the ones that possibly lead to death.

And while my life is nowhere as dramatic as that, I thought long and hard about the choices we make and how the choice to be happy can be possible. So, while that map of tunnels and paths looks very ominous, I think it is possible to find some happy routes along the way.

Last year I wrote of our inner tube ride and how we need to fight the river a whole lot less, and it is by coincidence that this mine camp is also the launch site for the inner tubes. Funny how I found myself, physically and figuratively, at that same spot where I found my zen last year. What is it about those hills in Kentucky that whispers to me to slow down and find less drama in my life?