Coming Home and Traveling ... through the Tao Te Ching

In the winter of 1989 Frances slipped behind the wheel of her old red Dodge pickup truck and spent three months traveling from central Minnesota through Ohio, Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, and other parts of the central, southwestern, and northern United States. Her travel companions were two of her closest friends: her Golden Retriever, Sadie, and her rabbit, Poof. The trio camped together and shared many adventures.

"But," Frances reminded me during the last week of our trip through Latin America, "After only a few days at home Sadie was intent on getting back on the road. She just couldn't settle down. I had to tell her, 'No. We're home now. We're not going anywhere.'

"I have a feeling you might be like that too," Frances warned.

Perhaps she was right. I'm not sure that I want to pack my bags and head out the door this week. Yet, now that I've tasted the fruits--both literal and figurative--of a warmer, sunnier, more exotic culture and climate, I don't need to spend the rest of my life in my beautiful, shady house in the woods.

In fact, both Frances and I are reevaluating the direction of our lives, reimagining what we both long to experience as we cull through our possessions and lessen the load. It's clear that we both love to travel. Leaving behind the routine of daily life provided us with an opportunity to be more objective, less willing to cling to what we know, and more open to trusting that we can learn, grow, and thrive in many other circumstances than we previously thought. That's one of the precious gifts we received from our travels.

The morning after our return to the North Woods I led my Cornucopia T'ai Chi Chih class in our first winter practice. During class tea time, as usual, we read and discussed the next verse of the Tao Te Ching, Verse 23. We're studying this well-known classic text from two out of a multitude of translations: Ursula LeGuin's "Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching: A Book about The Way and the Power of The Way" and Wayne Dyer's "Change Your Thoughts--Change Your Life."

Dyer's chapter, "Living Naturally," spoke directly to me about my experiences during our travels. "Open yourself to the Tao and trust your natural responses ... then everything will fall into place," translates Dyer. He later writes, "The Tao points out that the Way is responsible for everything ... When you conform to the naturalness of the universe, you cooperate with this all-creating power that flows through you. Suspend ego-driven plans and instead participate in the power that created you--allow it to be the guiding force in your life."

Yes, I have come home and still, I am traveling.