The Journey Is The Destination, So Make It Happen
From time to time, Myrth founder Emma McLaren will pop in and share stories from her adventures around the world. Here’s the latest installment.
It is so important to be reminded that the journey is the destination. So many times in life we are looking for something at the end of the journey--you know, like that is the only thing that matters. We forget sometimes to stop and smell the roses or enjoy the parts of the trip before we reach the destination.
I vividly remember arriving into Santiago de Compostela one cool October morning back in 2008 and calling my dad in tears. Not because I was in pain or in joy, but because arriving at the cathedral was disappointing. There were so many people and I was by myself and it seemed like a let down. It was such an important lesson in life.
So I try to remember this as I travel around the world and travel through life. Life is not what you get at the end; life is what you make every day. Now, I am no saint, and so there are definitely days I have that do not embrace this completely. I have lazy days, days without major accomplishments. Don’t we all? But, for the most part, when I am out on another one of my adventures, I always try to remind myself, “the journey is the destination.”
Life is not what you get at the end; life is what you make every day.
Would you believe I once found a pair of Toms in a NYC store that had that exact saying on them? Yup, true story. The lesson stared me in the face for as long as those Toms lasted — about a year.
Eventually, I found myself again at the end of a long journey. I had just hiked 40kms of the Inca trail, all to get to Machu Picchu. We woke up at 3:30 am to start the last leg of our hike into Machu Picchu– because that is the ridiculous time it happens — and it was raining. What?! Brilliant lesson.
Imagine if I had just ignored the ruins and the trail and all the lovely moments along the way, just to wait til Machu Picchu. Now again, I’m only human so I got wrapped up in that a bit, but as I ran with the porters, inhaled the rainforest air, and sat on the terraces with my friends Richie and Sean, I loved every moment.
It is every moment of the journey that I will remember, and this time, I had the experience of previous trips to help me know that.
Despite the rain, I had to start packing up my stuff, leave the tent, and venture out. My hopes had been pinned on a sunshiny morning and a beautiful view of Machu Picchu, but as I packed up to finish my hike, I knew that even if I never got that view, the trip still will have been amazing and will have brought so much to my life. Perhaps reminding me that the journey is the destination was the most important part of that week for me.
*Follow-up note: it was still raining as we arrived into Machu Picchu, but the clouds parted before long, and as the morning sunshine rose higher in the sky, the beautiful and magical structure was revealed. I think it was actually more glorious than had it been visible right away. How does the saying go: you have to put up with the rain to enjoy the rainbow?
What was your last anti-climactic experience? Did you learn a lesson?