Dear Friends,

“Running Away, Running Towards”

I sometimes think that nearly all of human behavior can, at heart, be defined by one of those two options; or perhaps those are the two categories that so many observers and philosophers have been trying to put people into for so many many years.  Sexuality, Substance Abuse, Religion, Hobbies, Reading… so many activities and actions can fit into one of the two categories of today’s title.

Religion will serve as a handy example, and given that this IS a religious/spiritual focused blog it does seem appropriate.

I was not churched as a child, and came home to Paganism sometime in my late teens to early twenties.  It’s not so much that I don’t remember the exact moment, it is more that there wasn’t one big one.  There were lot’s of moments, of learning, of self-discovery, small moments and the process of discovering my relationship with the Universe.  I have taken this journey fairly seriously, even when I wasn’t entirely aware of the journey.  So it came a a very big surprise to me in my mid-twenties when I realized that people’s reasons for being one religion or another sometimes seem to have little to do with, well, religion.

There are folks who like belonging to a group, who are looking for someone to tell them what to do, who are looking to retreat from the complexity of the world.  There are those who have decided to stick it to someone in their past, or the faith they were raised in.  Those who want a safe refuge where they don’t have to do the damn difficult work of their spiritual journey. *

Folks who are running away from something else, and not towards religion.

When you’re running towards, you are doing your work, you’re growing and learning, and engaging in behavior and practices that nurture you mentally, spiritually, and physically.

I have always tried to be more of a runner towards,… although Gods know I’ve fallen and stumbled over the years.  Lately, though I’ve been kind of running away.  After a very hectic time in my work life, I have been hiding from the world in my off hours watching tv show marathons and barely stirring from my chair.   Inertia has become my new normal.

Time to start Running Towards again.

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* It does not matter who you are or what your journey entails, it is ~always~ damn difficult work, if it isn’t then you are not Working, then are you?