into the unknown
every moment in the aquí y ahora is technically brand new, like stepping into a river where the water flowing past our feet is constantly changing - the old metaphor by heraklit i have used before.
but new doesn't automatically mean unknown. most of the time, we drag our past memories, old habits, and default assumptions into the present moment. we filter what is right in front of us through our familiar stories, treating the fresh moment as something predictable and ordinary. we plan for it to happen in line with our expectations and often are upset when it doesn’t happen like planned.
while the present is always brand new, experiencing it as truly open and unknown requires us to quiet the noise in our heads and drop our expectations.
do we expand our horizon by going places?
physically and geographically stepping into new places and subjecting ourselves to different experiences definitely stretches our world. when we change our environment, try new activities, or walk down unfamiliar trails, we shift our vantage point.
it's like walking through a dense forest where you can only see the immediate surroundings around you. to see a new landscape or catch a different angle of the trees, you have to move your body and test the boundaries of your circumstances. maybe even the forest. staying in motion keeps us from getting locked into rigid identities and safe, mechanical routines.
or by looking deeper where we stand?
at the same time, traveling across the world won't expand our souls if we carry the exact same distracted mind with us everywhere we go.
true expansion is just as much about the quality of our attention right where we stand or walk. there is depth available in this very moment if we can simply slow down, stop comparing ourselves to others, and rest in the present.
you don't always need a new landscape; sometimes you just need to drop your filters and look at what is in front of you with open eyes.
the choice of possibilities:
in the end, being alive means standing in front of a wide open field of possibilities. whether we choose to expand our horizon by packing a backpack to explore new trails, or by sitting in a forest and deepening our presence - if it is possible to do both at the same time, that may be a good idea; to do both, travel to new places and sit in a forest there to simply be in one moment after another - the expansion happens when we actively choose to step out of rountine and autopilot to truly engage with reality.
to fully live.
