Heroes Not Zombies

In the A – Z of Becoming, the fifth verb, is EXPLORE.

Targets, goals and plans……how do you set off into the future? Do you set yourself some targets or goals? Do you draw up a detailed plan? Or do you decide what or where you would like to go and explore?

What’s the difference?

Well, think of taking a walk over the hills. You can either work out in advance where to start from, where to finish, and which particular path on the map you will follow. Or you can decide where to start, but then decide which particular paths to take, and where you would like to go, once you are there.

Or think of going to a gallery. Maybe you hear about a particular work of art (Rodin’s The Kiss has been on display in the Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh in recent weeks) and you decide to go and see it. So you plan your trip, go to the gallery, ask at the door where the particular work of art is being displayed and then follow the floor plan to go and see the work you want to see. Or instead you can decide to go the gallery for a few hours and wander around…..explore the rooms you’ve never been in before, see the works of art you’ve never seen before, or stumble over some old familiar works you haven’t seen for years.

For my next holiday in France, I’ve booked a flight, and a hire car. But that’s all. We’re going to explore an area we’re not familiar with, and might find our way into some neighbouring areas to see some old friends, some previously visited towns. I like these explorations. You can’t predict what you might find.

Exploring isn’t the only way to encounter life, but it is a different way. It maximises serendipity, surprise and wonder.

What, or where, might you begin to explore this week?