Better than where I've been

If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed.

Chinese Proverb

"Where are you going?" the young boy asked the man.
"I don't know." The man replied.

"Then why are you going there?" asked the young boy.

The man paused. Looked around. "I'm just following the path," he replied. "Seeing where it leads."

"But what if it leads you somewhere you don't want to go?"

"I'll figure that out when I get there," the man replied.

And the boy fell silent and the man walked on to who knows where.

At the shelter where I work, there are hundreds of men and women living in a place they never imagined possible, following a path they never thought would lead them into homelessness. A path that, despite their best efforts to not get there, took them there anywhere.

Best efforts. We all want to believe we're doing our best -- and when our best leads us somewhere we don't want to go, we tell ourselves, our best isn't good enough, and fall into the trap of believing, this is where we want to be, need to be, should be, have no other answer than to just be there 'cause there is no where else we can see to be.

Last night, we had a celebration for the team of artists and administrators who worked so hard throughout the past year on This is My City. We were about 15 people chatting and laughing and reminiscing about the events of the This is My City project -- and talking about how we could build a sustainable project that would keep the energy and momentum alive. We mapped out a few key steps that must be taken to ensure an 'entity' is created that will keep the principles and objectives of the project alive, and we talked about what next steps need to be taken to engage the artists, the agencies, and the people in the project.

It was an exciting and stimulating evening. And at the end, we all felt like we'd taken a huge step towards where we want to go with the project.

A path was lit and we the light carriers committed to illuminating it for others to follow, to join in, to get engaged.

"Why are we doing this?" asked one of the artists. A client of the shelter. A man of quiet purpose who struggles to find his sobriety.

"We built a foundation over the past year," replied the woman who conceived of the project two years ago and who's city department shepherded it through the past year. "And, we've shown that there is value in doing this. In keeping this alive."

Heads nodded around the table.

"Yeah. We know the power of engaging people who are homeless in the arts. We proved it. We just need to keep it happening," said another artist.

"We need to ensure there is the opportunity to make money," said one of the artists. A man who's commitment to his art has lead him out of homelessness back to a place of his own.

"But that isn't the underlying purpose of the project," said another. "The primary purpose of This is My City is to bring artists on both sides of the street together by paving the way for them to engage with each other and make art happen."

We know where we want to go. We know what we need to do to get there. We have a path. It is lit.

"Who will answer the phone?" asked an artist, a long-time client of the shelter.

We laughed. "The phone doesn't even exist yet," someone replied. "Right now we need to focus on the what and let the how's unfold as we move forward."

Focus on the what and don't get engaged in worrying about the 'hows'.

The 'What' is -- what we are working towards. The 'How' are -- the steps we take upon the path.

And, no matter how long or short our steps, as long as we know where we're going -- building an organization that will act as the catalyst to create opportunities along with the funding for people from every walk of life, every side of the street, to engage in the creative process of making change happen through the arts, the how will unfold with each step we take.

As long as we know where we're going, each step will take us closer to where we want to be.

Why are you taking this path? the young boy asked the man.

Because it's the one I'm on, the man replied.

How did you get here?

By following the path, said the man.

But the signpost reads, Road to Hell, said the boy. Is that where you want to go?

The man stopped. Looked at the sign. Shrugged his shoulders. It must be wrong, he replied. 'Cause anywhere is better than where I've been.

We know where we are headed -- into action. Keeping alive the possibility of engaging community artists with individuals and the agencies involved in homelessness so that art can happen and lives can change through its happening. And in that process, minds expand, hearts open and community is built.

We know the path we are on is leading us in the right direction. We've followed the signposts and none of them read, Road to Hell.

We're on the, Road to Possibility. And, on this road we know there will be hows to discern and ways to uncover. But regardless of the bumps and hurdles, the missteps and detours taken, we're on the right path and going for it. What a great way to be engaged in the journey of life, what a great path to be on together!