Joy in the Journey

Joy in the Journey

Last night, I was visiting with a new friend. We’re both from Northern California, and as we shared stories about home, she told me about a trip she’s planning, back to the familiar beauty of the redwoods.

One of the things she said stuck with me: “I just want to smell the redwood trees again.”

Doesn’t that sound delightful?

She went on to tell me about her plans, how this trip might happen 18 months from now. But then she added, almost as an afterthought, “I don’t know if we’ll actually take the trip. See, I plan trips as kind of a hobby. I don’t always take them, but I have fun planning them.”

That caught me off guard. I’m the total opposite. I’m the kind of person who jumps on a trip with just a bare skeleton of a plan and fills in the details as I go. It’s not always a great thing, to be honest. My friend, on the other hand, finds joy in the imagining, the journey of planning, even if the trip itself never happens.

I realized how much happiness she must feel picturing herself in these places, living a bit of the adventure without even leaving her comfy chair.

I think the way my friend does it, planning and imagining, might actually be the better way. She’s not fixated on the outcome. Instead, she’s savoring the anticipation, the exploration, and the act of seeing herself in those spaces. Given her health challenges (she walks with a cane), the reality of travel might be difficult, even grueling.

Joy doesn’t always have to be tied to a result or a destination. Sometimes, it’s found in the journey itself.