On the Way There

It is not what we do or where we're going but who we are along the way.

If I decide to start a business, my measure of accomplishment is not in starting the business, but in that even if I were to fail, I would be the person mindful enough to recognize the beauty of my attempt. I would hope to, even in loss, give all that I had learned to those pursuing the same destination, even when I know they will then surpass me. I want to be the one who celebrates those living in dreams I cannot yet afford because life is not a list of milestones but who we are moment by moment.

We are not here to do things but to be things and by the fruit of our being, change the world. Compassion, courage, grace, and kindness require being. We don't do compassion or do courage, we are compassionate and we are courageous.

It is one of the greater temptations in any humanitarian effort to be so focused on our holy endeavors that we forget the power of who we are before, after, and even during each activity. There are things we can never accomplish if we are not first aware of who we are - bettering the world is one of them.

In focusing on our being, destinations lose power in dictating our worthiness. It's a decision to set aside the things that have tormented our best depictions of success, allow our hard shell of envy to soften into enjoyment, and not only appreciate who and where our neighbor is but where and who we are. This is the richest soil for growth - together, walls down, exposed to vulnerability's potentially scorching rays, but watered by our collective decision to celebrate rather than compete.

This is your invitation. Remove yourself from the race and realize who you are in the midst of where you are going.