The Green Path to Anywhere

As I’m sitting here now, I’m waiting for my last flight to finally take me home. The final step of the journey is almost complete and soon I’ll be home where I can only try to understand how to be an American again. It might take a little while to adjust back to the driving, using money that’s all the same color and size, drinking out of water fountains, and of course, the six-hour time difference. I wonder what my normal life really looks like. Do I go to school? What will I eat for breakfast tomorrow morning? Will my normal life be different now that I’ve spent 5 weeks outside of my comfort zone? The answer to the last question is easy. I will take the lessons I’ve learned on this trip with me for the rest of my life. A couple weeks ago when we were at a mosque in a palace in a little town in Germany, I happened upon this little green path that led right into the bushes and the forest. It was a perfect path that weaved its way through the grass and into a place that I couldn’t see. I thought about walking down this path so that I might discover where it led. But I didn’t.  For some reason, I wanted the end to remain a mystery. This path was so perfect and magical that I didn’t want to be disappointed with the ending. In my mind, there could be anything at the end of this path. And if I discovered where it led, the illusion would be shattered. As I continued on my journey of Germany and Austria in the weeks after this, I couldn’t get this little green path out of my mind. I was following it everywhere I went: meeting new people, learning a part of their story, and then leaving them behind. Discovering towns, experiences, moments, and then leaving them behind for something new. Just following down that path, unsure of where the next step would lead me. Broadening my understanding of what it means to DO music therapy and narrowing my understanding of what it means to BE a music therapist. I know that the end of this trip doesn’t mean the green path ends. It’ll just look.....different. And I’m excited to see where the next chapter of my life takes me and the moments I will be able to learn from every day. The green path to anywhere lives and grows as I do, and I can’t wait to see what’s just behind the next bush and around the next bend. It might not be easy to follow, but every step is beautiful and worth the journey.