Coddiwomple

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

We are grateful to Rupali Bhuva for offering this hand-made painting for this reading.

Coddiwomple is one of my all-time favorite words, especially as a metaphor for life. It means to travel purposefully towards an as-yet-unknown destination. Isn't that what we're all doing, at the end of the day? So why do we often pretend otherwise?

You can coddiwomple through a city, or you can coddiwomple your career. You can coddiwomple your way to success by defining it on your own terms. Coddiwompling, you realize that "making it" and "getting there" are constantly evolving, ever changing... and that is the essence of life. Don't fret; enjoy the unexpected discoveries along the way.

Coddiwompling doesn't mean lack of direction; quite the opposite. A coddiwompler has peace of mind because she’s not waiting to “become” someone or for something else to happen. She's comfortable getting lost because she knows that’s where the truly worthwhile opportunities and aha's are to be found.

The pilgrimage of Camino de Santiago is a microcosm of coddiwompling. True, for most people the "destination" is Santiago de Compostela, yet you quickly learn that's not the real journey. The real Camino is the inner journey. It's peeling back the layers of who you are. It's an opportunity to get lost in your thoughts, to gain fresh clarity about your values and priorities, to let go of what no longer serves you... and to leave it on the trail. Because when the Camino (de Santiago) ends, the real Camino (of life) begins.

Give coddiwompling a try today. Open a new door, take a new route, trust your intuition, try that thing you've been dreaming about. See how it feels. Boost your comfort with uncertainty. 

One of my favorite Camino sayings: No corras que a donde tienes que llegar es a tí mismo. (Don't run. Where you have to get to is your self.)

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April Rinne is the author of Flux.