An On-The-Road State of Mind: Thursday's Reflection

Recently, I read Gloria Steinem's 2015 memoir, My Life on the Road. I should say I FINALLY read this book, for it has been on my list for a long time. I borrowed it from the library, but I quickly discovered, as early as the introduction, I wanted to underline something on every page. I decided, therefore, to buy a copy with the intention of re-reading it. 

I suggest you read it yourself and then pass it on to your daughters and granddaughters and other young women in your life. This is a woman we must not forget. And while you are at it, read Michelle Obama's Becoming and make sure your loved ones read that, too. 

One of her purposes in this book is to encourage each of us to "spend some time on the road, too."
                   
                   By that I mean traveling--or even living for
                   a few days where you are--in an on-the-road
                   state of mind, not seeking out the familiar
                   but staying open to whatever comes along. 
                   It can begin the moment you leave your door.
                                                              p. xxi

Traveling is a privilege, and I am grateful for the traveling I have been able to do in my life, but traveling to new and exciting places is not a priority for me now. However, I think it is possible to maintain an "on-the-road state of mind, even without walking beyond your threshold.   

Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a circle. You can see the perimeter of that circle and maybe you can even see beyond it, but let's start with what you can see within the circle. What do you see?What is in the circle with you? What or who enters the circle routinely or perhaps just occasionally? What do you make time for in the circle of your day? Room for?

Now start rotating so you see other parts of the circle. What is behind you? What is on either side of you? Are there any gaps in the circle? Keep turning, but pay attention to what interests you, surprises you, perhaps even disturbs you. Are you tempted to stop and linger at any point? Would you like to get closer to the circumference and if you do that, how does that change the circle? 

Although certainly metaphorical, I think these are interesting questions, because they challenge our way of receiving information and new perspectives. An on-the-road state of mind is an open state of mind, a curious approach, a state in which one's ears and eyes are bigger than one's mouth. A reflective heart keeps expanding, it seems to me. 

What do I do to encourage an on-the-road state of mind? Well, first of all, I am not always successful doing that. Sometimes I just want comfort and my easy status quo, but if that becomes my normal way of functioning, I will no longer write this blog.

This blog is a key way for me to expand my circle, to keep it alive and vibrant. In order to write posts twice a week, I need to stay alert and awake. I need to be an observer, a listener, a questioner. I need to be in community and to challenge myself to go deeper within myself and to pay attention to the movement of God in my life--and what that means for how I live my life. 

Gloria Steinem says, "More reliably than anything else on earth, the road will force you to live in the present." After all, anything can happen on the road, and I don't want to miss it. 

An Invitation
What does the phrase "on-the-road state of mind" mean to you? I would love to know.