The Longest Journey

The Longest Journey

They say the longest journey

is the one you take into yourself.

I promised myself at nineteen

that I would take

the long way home

not knowing at the time

exactly what that might mean.

So, I've traveled

over the last fifty years.

the winding roads inward

many times over

and I've discovered

new things to know

every single time.

One of the things I've learned

is 'as without, so within,

likewise, as within so without.'

and I've learned that living

can be divided into two parts---

Times to pick up

what you believe, and act

and times to put down

what you believe and learn.

Whenever I hear someone say,

“I know myself pretty well,”

I can kinda figure

what they really mean to say is,

“I know just enough about myself,

to feel comfortable with how I imagine

myself to be.”

...and I can tell there are probably

quite a few forests

they have not yet wandered wondering,

and quite a few mountains high

they have yet to cross over.

Good to know, inside we each

are as simple as a single

second of silence

yet at the same time

as vast as all the sea of stars at night

and just as full of mystery.

If you don't spend

a fair amount of time,

in a state of wonder,

like a young child

you've likely got a ways

yet to wander.

Put down your preconceptions

and set your sails as high as you can.

Grand and uncharted

the sea awaits you, my friend.

Dewey Dirks