#Patience

STATS – Day: 115 | Distance: 13,613.2 miles | Location: Astoria, Oregon | Money Spent To Date – Gas: $1,553.00| Food: $1,597.60 | Play/Misc: $667.41| Lodging $1,925.02

I am in Oregon, I am “IN” Oregon!!! The town of Astoria is in the northwest corner of the state, right across from the Washington border. A fantastic coastal place, home of “the Goonies” for all you 80’s children. My experience across the Northern USA and Canada bits is nearly over – 10 days to go! I can’t believe my dream (one of my many, many dreams) is about to be fulfilled.

I sit here practicing PATIENCE…..

Ever since I crossed into Washington State I’ve been eagerly WANTING to get to Oregon, southwestern Oregon is the more precise location. I start getting itchy to move onto my next adventure, and there are ALWAYS several adventures waiting for me, like little presents ready to be unwrapped, filled with unlimited possibilities.

This is a problem I have. I have a problem of rushing to the next “thing” and not taking the time to appreciate the current “thing” or even take time to pat myself on the back and say “good job Pipes”. I’ve known this about myself and have been working on it FOR YEARS.

I started a success journal in 2002. A place where I could write down my victories, grand or small, as a way of stopping and taking time to acknowledge accomplishments. The journal served a dual purpose because it is also a place to turn to when I’m having a Pipe’s Pity Party and feeling low. I can look back through the pages and say “see Pipe, you’ve done quite a lot!” When I unpack it from my box of “the stuff Pipe kept” I’ll have a few pages to add just from this experience alone.

I talk to myself when I’m feeling antsy to get moving. I say “slow down Pipes, relax a bit. The whole reason for this trip was to experience each state, let’s experience Oregon like we’ve done all the rest, appreciate how far you’ve come, everyone you’ve met and all you’ve experienced”. I feel like one part of me is a mother of a really rambunctious child, all patience and soothing voices. The other part of me is the child, doing everything they can to escape their mother’s grasp, an absolute bursting ball of energy.

I conjure up memories and lessons from my time at the Dzogchen Meditation Center #FindingPeace and what it was like to be fully present in the moment. What a great opportunity to practice just that, for there is no tomorrow, once you get there, it is today. There is only “now”.

Just BE.

So I get up each day and remind myself of that. I don’t rush. I relish instead. If I find myself walking fast, I walk slower. If I find myself looking to what’s next, I refocus my thoughts to the present. I eat extra ice cream. Patience Pipe, Patience.

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.” – Buddha

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