on the way to your destination

My teacher Josh Liebling begins each session in our weekly Qi Gong class with a quote or two so all of us in the room can bring our attention to a thought or feeling or emotion to carry through our practice. Last week it was about hope, and I loved this quote: "The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination.” *

It made me think of our ever-present power of choice. It also brings to mind another favorite quote (this one from Annie Dillard), one regular readers have heard me cite before: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our life.”

Whatever you think your destination is, think bigger because it’s your life. Your destination is your life. At various points along the way, you may want to pause and take a look back. Notice what happened! No matter whether you were hopeful or despairing, here you are. You made it. You got here, this far, to this moment. It may not be at all what you expected. Or exactly what you expected. The chances are good, though, that it’s somewhere in the middle.

So, I choose hope over despair. And, that’s not always easy, but it’s always a choice. I’ve had my share of days, weeks and months when I despaired but I always return to hope. Some times take longer than others. But I know it’s a choice. So, I practice making that choice over and over. And, here I am, pausing to look back and I see that I have had – and I am having – a good life. I see the blessings amid the challenges. I am grateful. I am happy. And I am here.

Be hopeful, and make good choices.

To learn more about Josh, and to sign up for his newsletter, go to www.alignedawareness.com

* Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon

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6/8/2026