In "Eat, Pray, Love" Elizabeth Gilbert is suggested to be a woman "in search of her word." A word that defined her, not what she does or who she is in relation to someone else. She finally settles on "attraversiamo," an Italian word that means "let's cross over." In my life I have been (and will be) many things. But while there are some words that only describe us, it can be difficult to find a word that truly defines us. For me, a very fitting word would be "Seeker." Not the kind that's in Harry Potter, but I have a kind of seeking nature. I am always interested in new things, places, people, and ideas. I can't imagine, even as an old woman, that I will feel any differently, and I hope I'm right. There is so much joy to be had in seeking something, sometimes it's better than the attainment itself. A few years ago I went with my Aunt and Uncle on a fishing trip to Pulaski, NY. Now, I am not particularly fond of fishing, but I love to go to new places, and so I tagged along. One day I rode a bike to a nearby town called Selkirk because I'd seen a picture of the Selkirk lighthouse and thought it was beautiful. I don't remember how long it took to ride there, I want to say it was about 5 miles. I also didn't know exactly where I was going. I just got on the bike and headed out. I took a couple lucky turns, and ended up riding right up to it. It was such an amazing feeling to find it. It was as if I was meant to go there, and some invisible force had guided me to it. In life there are so many wonderful things to experience- making new friends, going new places, learning new things, falling in love. Sometimes those things will stumble into our laps, but more often we have to actively participate in the process. We have to seek. Today, for example, I had a wonderful writing/reading/meditation, watched a good movie while I cleaned up and chilled, cashed my V-day checks, and did a little superfluous shopping with my sister. It was a wonderful day, and yet when I sat down to do my blog, I completely blanked. I searched the web for some inspiration, I went through my day looking for a recurring theme, but came up with nothing. Then just when I was on the brink of skipping tonight, I realized that seeking is an action in and of itself. It's important that we are seeking the right things and for the right reasons. But without seeking something, we cease to grow.
"Seek and ye shall find." - Matthew 7:7
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