“And how should a beautiful, ignorant stream of water know it heads for an early release – out across the desert, running toward the Gulf, below sea level, to murmur its lullaby, and see the Imperial Valley rise out of burning sand with cotton blossoms, wheat, watermelons, roses, how should it know?”

— Carl Sandburg
Where are you going?  Carl Sandburg’s words make me stop and think of all the times I’ve thought I know where my destination lies, only to discover that I end up in some unexpected place that leaves me forever changed.  I think of the way my journey began, much like that of the ignorant stream, as one drop of life merged with another and another until I began to trickle into the larger world outside of my beginning.  Like the stream, whose only reason for existing is to flow into the unknown, we gather the pieces of being alive that compel us to walk through an endless destination, enjoying the wonder that greets us in each new place.
Today’s destination will be tomorrow’s starting point.  The journey is ongoing; and the sooner we comprehend that it is not the destination but the trip that is our purpose in life, the sooner we will learn to appreciate the adventure of simply flowing.  The stream may be ignorant, but it becomes more wise as it gathers the experiences of surprising lands and carries them along its way.  Our purpose is not in getting to the end, although we all will reach that place one day.  Rather than flowing to that end, we must remember to flow through each day in a way that adds to our ability to love and leaves the traces of that love along the path we walk.
Wherever your destination might be, remember to be exactly where you are today.  Watch for cotton blossoms and roses and watermelons.  Watch for the gifts that appear on your way.  And as night falls and brings its lullaby to your heart, remember to sing.