The Journey Is The Destination
What is the difference between exploring and being lost? The journey IS the destination. -Dan Eldon
When I had graduated college, I sat front row at a press conference that
announced the official retirement of John Stockton…one of my two favorite
basketball players as a child. In that press conference
he said, “This has been a ride–the journey was the destination.”
Those words spoke loud and clear to me last night as I made my way
down to the Sikh Center in Santa Ana for the Evening of Awareness.
I am recently unemployed and I’m looking for ways to save money. Also,
in an ongoing effort to make myself more environmentally conscious and
physically fit, I thought that riding a bike might be a great idea.
And since I had an upcoming trip to Santa Ana from my home in North
Hollywood, what better way to kick off my newfound freedom with a
killer bike/train combo.
Early afternoon, I rode my bike to the North Hollywood Metro Station
(about 1.5 miles) and took the Red Line to Downtown LA’s Union
Station. I rode by bike around downtown and met up with a couple of
people. Afterwards, I rode back to the station and waited for the next
Metrolink train to take me to Santa Ana. I sat at Union Station and
people-watched…always a fun pastime. Then came time to board the
double-decker train…and in about 45 minutes, I made it down to Santa
Ana. As I departed the Santa Ana station, I headed off–and in about
1.5 miles, I realized I was going completely in the wrong
direction…so I mapped out the directions on my phone and got back on
track. 6.1 miles later, and only five minutes late, I made it to the
Sikh Center for the Evening of Awareness. What an AMAZING workout–and
more importantly, what a great feeling to know that I worked out my
muscles, traveled almost 50 miles, and got rid of excess sweat–all
for the mere cost of $6.50. I saved nearly 50 dollars in gas and I
feel great about it.
As soon as I pulled up, the first people I saw were Raj and
Christine–and Raj’s first question brought me back to
reality–“What’s your back home plan?”–Luckily I knew I was amongst
friends who show unconditional love. One of the volunteers, Mark from
Peace 4 Kids, gave me a ride home since he lived just one block away
from me–what a small world.
The Evening of Awareness was fantastic, filled with good friends, good
food and most importantly awareness and compassion shared by warm
people all around. My destination was not just the Sikh Center or the
activities of the day–it was a part of the journey. The bike, the
train, the night, the ride–they are the journey and that is the most
important thing that I took away from the night.
Gurudev,
Thanks so much for sharing your powerful experience. You have done a great job of pointing out the value of treasuring the little things we learn and realize along the way… something many of us may take for granted at times. I’m so glad you made it safely to the Evening of Awareness and that you also found a way back home.
I wish you more journeys like this one.
:)
Gurudev,
You were so sweet & helpful to Cindy & I – running back & forth between the food table & kitchen, replenishing our food trays. So kind. Thank you for literally & figuratively going that ‘extra mile.’
Pedal on…. .
Thank you for coming to the event! I was tabling the Tiny Toones table and performed last. I totally understand you. I sold my car and bought a bike from the thrift store so that I could take the riverbed to school, about ten miles away. It is an amazing experience each time I travel to school now and though I don’t know anyone’s names on the trail, we smile and say hi as if we were neighbors. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all found enjoyment in our journeys as the destination?
Without a doubt! In my humble opinion, life would be so fulfilling for so many!
hey gurudev!
I like how u wrote this: “in an ongoing effort to make myself more environmentally conscious and
physically fit, I thought that riding a bike might be a great idea.”…
Great idea!..I’m definitely impressed. I just got back from Portland, Oregon and I am amazed at all the biking and respect for bikers! I think it’s awesome to help the environment like that and feel all the endorphins rush to the brain at the same time! I biked around Saturday night with my sister and her boyfriend. We biked to a festival, biked to a huge bookstore and had a looksy. We biked back to their residence. I think it was only 6 plus miles. But made me see how there’s so much living and exploring to be done while biking! :)
Thanks for sharing this Gurudev..
Enjoy the Journey …destination will follow !
Cheers..
Inspiring.
Dave –
I’m very proud of you and wish I could have been there to share the ride and the journey with you. I’m glad it all worked out in the end!
-Krys