Finding Joy in the Unknown

Recently, I had the opportunity to share photographs and stories from one of my college experiences with a friend. During my junior year in college, I attended school in Fiesole, Italy. I was so excited to be able to explore other cities and countries, and that’s exactly what I did. With a traveling partner, every weekend we either explored the towns around the school or traveled to another town or country. At the time, there were no cell phones nor GPS devices, and there were many language barriers, but we didn’t care. We would look through our travel books, pick a place, buy a train ticket and just show up for exploration. We trusted that everything would fall into place while we were there, including lodging, food, exploring museums and churches, and attending plays or concerts. Even though we did not have a clear understanding of where we were at the time, we just kept moving and enjoying every moment. And everything always worked out for us. I had these same feelings on the occasions when I traveled by myself.

Reflecting back on that year, I am amazed at what I now see as fearlessness in traveling to all of these places with no guide and very little skills in the many languages we encountered. I also wonder where my openness to actively exploring unknown territories seemed to have gone. I must confess that I no longer immediately find joy in not knowing where I am or where I am going. And when did these feelings of wanting to know where I am in every moment begin? When I consider this question, I think back to the first time I was diagnosed with cancer. During the experience, I was wrapped in a sense of not knowing, yet it wasn’t until the experience was over, that I was aware of the new and very different place that I was in. It was after that time that I worked very hard to feel safe, which translated to me in not actively exploring unknown territories.

Yet, despite not wanting to be there, I was and am still there. What I am choosing to embrace is a trust that I can feel safe in every moment and trust in the experiences of the unknown. We don’t know what will happen in the future so by embracing a sense of adventure and being present in the moment, we can release worry about what is to come or what may happen next when we feel lost. When we listen to our heart and intuition, we will always be guided to the right place at the right time, even when it is an experience that we had not planned.

While I may not literally be traveling the world with no GPS at this time, I continue to explore the unknown by taking new courses, having new experiences, and being more intentional about being present in the moment. And it is amazing that the courses that seem to pop up for me, like the Soul Coaching(R) program, are the ones that support me in embracing stepping forward on my journey with joy. In every moment, I trust that I am okay right where I am. And each time I reinforce that message and feeling, I am able to be more comfortable in those unknown spaces.