The first steps on a compelling highway

The first of anything can be very important to the person experiencing it.

[The first kiss, the first experience swimming, the first time you said "I love you" to someone other than your family and meant it, the first haircut, the first dentist appointment, or maybe just the first time you went to school.]

I think that the reason that these first experiences are so meaningful is because they represent a new pathway in our lives. There is a newness and energy that comes from the start of something that has never been experienced before. However, there is also a spectrum of possibilities for that pathway, ranging from a long, dusty road to a short cul-de-sac [or as one of my favorite writers put it, a "bag end"].

With this said, I hope that what occurs in this little experiment of mine is closer to the dusty road side of the spectrum than it is to the bag end. The journey is precious, and perhaps you who are reading this will join me in experiencing the things that will come along the road.


The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

JRR Tolkien from The Fellowship of the Ring