Keep Looking

“If you keep looking, you will find it. It has nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with courage. Be brave.”―?Jamie Christian Desplaces

This week’s post had a dual inspiration that was almost comical.? On Wednesday I decided to get an early start on my writing.? I made some coffee, sat down to begin,?reached into my pocket for my glasses, and you know the rest of the story; where are they?? Now I must tell you, that this is not an infrequent dilemma, as I primarily wear them to read.? I have a habit of taking them off, putting them down on a counter and moving on to another task.? The search began; family room, living room, kitchen, bedroom end table.? They were nowhere to be found.? Maybe I left them in the car.? I went out to the garage and decided to move the car out and let the sunlight help me search.? I started the car and Pandora kicked in. ? There it was, the inspiration for this piece and to continue my search; Sade was singing her 1988 hit,?Keep Looking.

“Keep Looking” was also a central theme in Steve Jobs commencement address at Stanford in 2005.

“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

Have you ever taken a moment to think about all the paths you have traveled and all the things you’ve been looking for, and perhaps continue to seek in this life? ? I’ve come to the conclusion that our life is very much like the voyage portrayed through the poem “Ithaca” by Constantine Cavafy. ? Since the publication of Homer's?Odyssey,?Ithaca has always symbolized the destination of a long journey with many ports that leads to arrival at our final port of eternal calmness and satisfaction.??

When you go out on the trip to Ithaca, Pray the way will be long, Full of adventures, full of recognitions. Laistrygonians and Cyclops, Angry Poseidon, don’t fear them. You will never find such things in your way. If your views stay high, if a very Special emotion touches your mind and body. Laistrygonians and Cyclops, Wild Poseidon, you won’t meet them, If you don’t transport them into your soul, If your soul doesn’t stand them up in front of you.

Pray the way will be long. Pray there be many summer mornings When you-how gratefully, how gladly- Enter harbors you see for the first time. Stop at Phoenician exchanges. Acquire their fair, worked pieces, and Diamonds and coral, electrum and ebony, And voluptuous scents of every kind, Voluptuous scents, as many as you can.

Go to Egyptian cities. Learn and learn from their scholars. Always keep Ithaca in your mind: Arrival there is your goal, But don’t at all hurry the trip- Better many years to get there. Then when you are old you’ll anchor at the island, Rich with all you’ve gained on the way, Not expecting Ithaca to give you wealth. Ithaca gave you a beautiful voyage. Without her you wouldn’t have set out But she can’t give you more. And if you find her poor, Ithaca did not fool you, Wise as you’ve gotten, so expert by then, You’ll know what an Ithaca means.

It’s been an interesting journey to this point in my life, but I keep looking for the next port; hopefully Ithaca is many year’s away.? The good news is I did keep looking and I found my glasses so I can better chart my course.? They were on my desk behind the screen on which I’m now writing.? Enjoy your voyage and keep looking.

Embrace the Voyage

Embrace the Challenge.