Joyful Wanderer. One phrase, two words. Let’s unpack it -- break it down one word at a time. I’ll start with the second.
I love the word wander. It’s the antithesis of how many of us have come to live our lives. We don’t wander, we stride. We don’t wonder, we focus. We don’t ponder, we produce. Most of the time, all of that striding, focusing and producing is good. Truly. Because intentionality and hard work is critical to creating the life you want to live and building the world you want to live it in.
But, sometimes, we have to wander. Sometimes we have to explore. Sometimes we have to simply go where our feet take us.
If the past few months have taught us anything, they have taught us that things can change in an instant and we have far less control than we think we do. In a sense, we are always wandering. We need to make some peace with the reality that we can’t control every footfall and we don’t know where every path will lead.
As with so many things, it is a balance. A balance between being intentional, thoughtful and focused while at the same time being open to wandering down a path even when you don’t quite know where it will lead.