Courage is the quality most essential to understand the language of the world.” – Paulo Coelho
It was a cold brisk Friday in Copenhagen. I decided to take a little detour…to visit a dear old friend in the Swedish village of Lagan…
I met her some twenty plus years ago in Minnesota in the midst of another winter. Twenty years seems so far away, yet it passed by in a blink…
As I get off the train, I lose any sense of time or location. The landscape so reminded me of the winter days of my college life. Lagan is covered with white snow…just like it was then in Minnesota.
That night sitting in her living room with her family, we take turns to talk about our life journeys and the paths we each traveled…
We couldn’t have predicted when we were in our late teens and early twenties that one day we would be sitting in her home town – looking back at our past, or talking about our children.
Next day, we watch her kids play in the snow at an old firm house…
And she and I talk about the paths we each have chosen, finding inner peace, where life’s twists and turns take you – the regrets, the rewards, the sorrows, and the moments of joy that stay with you forever.
And most importantly the people you meet along the way. And as you get older you realize what really matters. The pursuit of happiness…the chase of success…the very question of ‘fulfillment’…and the meaning of it all…
We talk about spirituality…eastern philosophies, and being ‘Zen’. I couldn’t quite articulate what Zen really means to my friend that day.
Over the years, for me, it has become about living life with a constant curious exploration, purpose, learning, and unyielding courage. Life’s journey that makes you strong, that teaches you to contribute to the best of your abilities, and that allows you to pursue a personal legend according to your own terms!
It’s about self-awareness that allows you to experience life’s warmth without any hesitation.
Ta-Mo, the founder of Zen said:
Live an awakened life in which you are alert and aware.
Live your life with purpose and explore your world.
Experience as much of the world as is possible.
Your bodymind moving through life is your object of contemplation.
Your movement through life is Zen.
The exploration of yourself and your life is Zen.
Try to see your essential nature while living your life.
The path is the way and the way is the path.
Your mind is Zen.
Your life, as Zen, is the object, path, and the method of awaking.
Mindfully live so you can see your essential nature.
See your essential nature and every aspect of living will become Zen.
On my way back sitting on the train as I browse through The Alchemist for the 100th time, I come across a familiar passage:
‘The closer he got to the realization of his dream, the more difficult it got. It seemed as if what the old king had called ‘beginner’s luck’ were no longer functioning. In his pursuit of the dream, he was constantly subjected to tests of persistence and courage. So he could not be hasty, nor impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path.’
Don’t be impatient, he repeated to himself. “It’s like the camel driver said – ‘Eat when its time to eat. And move when its time to move along.’
We can not always control our lives…but we can choose the warmth and the blessings it brings to us everyday. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own.
It’s a matter of having the courage to pay attention to these miracles.
I have never regretted any of my detours…and this particular detour in Lagan turned out to be full of warmth in the middle of the cold depths of winter!
It is the detours of our life’s journey that can inspire us in unusual ways…should we choose to experience them.
And this was no exception!
