1 ▫️ every journey begins with a single question

Have you ever been taken by surprise by a question?

‘Duh’, I imagine you saying. And you're right. Duh, indeed: a pop quiz in algebra; a zinger during a job interview; an unforeseen proposal (decent or otherwise)…life is full of surprises. Correction: life IS a surprise. And just when you think there are no more surprises…

You get the picture. 

I was venting/dumping on a dear friend the other day. We hadn't seen each other in almost a year, and she listened patiently as I caught her up with what’s been going on in my life and exactly how I felt about it. I was very careful to explain, in detail, my dissatisfaction, disappointment and frustration with my circumstances. After paying a couple of hours of what must have been exhausting and very respectful attention, my friend calmly asked me one question. 

The question took me utterly by surprise. 

It seemed so incomprehensible at first. It felt too big to answer, too vast even to contemplate. But as I tried to wrap my mind around it, I began to see the brilliance of it. It was simple, yet profound:

“What does the life you want look like?”

Those eight words cut through two hours of *ARRRRGH!* [picture a face raised toward the ceiling, fists clenched, teeth grinding] and refocused the conversation. It also did much, much more. 

The genius behind this question - “what does the life you want look like?” - is this: it made me change the way I see my situation. On a grander scale, it made me think in terms of finding solutions. It's all too easy to focus on problems, or worse yet, on symptoms of problems. It's all too easy to spend emotional energy on alleviating pain instead of the source of the pain. Whether I'm looking at my life or at something else, asking that question, or a form of it, reminds me not to just look at the big picture but to paint the big picture I want to see. 

So welcome to my blog. Because the life I want includes me writing, at long last, for myself and hopefully for others too. In addition to this blog, I'm launching into freelance writing, and I'm hoping to create the life I want. For the first time in a long time, I can define it. I can visualize it. I can make it. 

Some journeys must be taken alone. This is not one of them. An adventure shared is an adventure blessed, so feel free to step in at any time, and step out when you want to. I'll be literally and figuratively traveling roads less traveled, making new friends, and chronicling my discoveries. Conversation is welcome (because what's a road trip without someone to talk to?). And if you want to see pictures, visit my Instagram account @livelearnblog.

It is a good friend who listens to our problems. It is a great friend who helps us find solutions. Thank you, Sydni, for being a great friend. There is more to the story, and the journey has begun.