“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” – Thoreau
We are no different, you and I—and yet, we are.
Our differences are beautiful and endless, ugly and finite.
Still, our worlds orbit along familiar trajectories. Our paths may be diverse and unique, but somehow are random in very similar ways.
Like you, I stumble, lose my way, and then find my compass again. I don’t know how many turns that spiral will make. Only time will tell.
In conversations with friends and strangers alike, I’ve discovered that many share this rhythm of wandering and returning. It is the universal human condition—life itself.
The more I learn of myself and others, the more I find truth in Thoreau’s words.
I, too, have no interest in simply existing, rendered mute while incarcerated in a prison of unwanted solitude, sentenced there equally by myself and a world already too full of noise, an unlawful double jeopardy, counting the days all the while failing to find my voice and sing my song before the sun sets on the last light I will know. Too many dusks have passed already and the sunrises remaining, if any, are unknown and never guaranteed.
One Sojourner is a place to find my voice, perspective, and share meaning, a record of the journey. Whatever the lyrics might be, the song must be written, and if there’s truth in Thoreau’s words, no matter how articulate, meaningful or in tune, the song must be sung, even if it’s for an audience of one.
Life whispers a deeper truth for those who would listen.
It is a kaleidoscope—mysterious, wonderful—begging to be explored, understood, and shared.
Understanding is a destination whose course is set on the sum of all bearings, and at the same time, none at all.
In the certainty of uncertainty, it’s a fool’s errand I was born to undertake.
Life is the journey and wrestling with its meaning is the perpetual trial. Victory is returning home to my loved ones with a measure of understanding, purpose, strength, sacrifice and service, and if the winds are favorable, many laughs along the way.
If you choose to join me, I hope you find the same.
From one sojourner to another, on the many roads we travel, I wish you well.
Many miles lie between here and somewhere—and in the somewhere lies everything, and nothing.
