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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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FINDING WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
A new outdoor labyrinth is just being completed a few blocks from my apartment, so I pass by it frequently. One evening, while walking home from the library, I noticed some teenagers who purposefully walked to the entrance of the labyrinth and began to meander through it silently and respectfully. I watched for a few minutes, and then went over to chat with them as they walked. "Are you guys familiar with labyrinths?" I asked. "Nope," came the terse reply as they methodically continued walking the path. "Well this particular pattern was designed in the 1200s," I told them, having trained as a labyrinth facilitator with Veriditas in San Francisco. "Cool," they said. "Who designed it?" "No one knows for sure,"I lectured. "t was built into the floor of a cathedral in Charters France. We think that it may have been used originally as a substitute ritual for pilgrims who couldn't make an actual trip to the Holy Land to visit Jerusalem."" Their reply to this profound historical information was, "Well that's weird." Curious about their motivation I asked, "So why did you guys decide to walk the labyrinth tonight?" Again their reply was concise. "Because it's fun." "Cool," I said, using their vernacular. Then I headed home once again. People walk labyrinths for many reasons, but ultimately whatever happens in the labyrinth becomes a metaphor for walking the path of life. On my path, the origin and use of the labyrinth may seem important. These innocent youth, however, were looking for fun and found it on the same path that I walk so seriously. That's how life usually works. We each find whatever we expect to find while walking the same path. If we are open-minded, however, we can also gain new insights from ourselves and others along the way.
© 2003 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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