One Way Ticket

I keep repeating it. I love the sound so much. One Way Ticket. An Exit without a plan. A leap of faith. Oh, the possibilities!

I feel I am finally getting back on the right track. This is how life should be. Without a known destination. This ticket will take me to Los Angeles, but from there, who knows. I have no ticket back to anywhere. My life with a zillion possibilities seems like it's really starting. Of course, life is always that way in reality, but we have the conception of it being planned. We think we have goals. We think we know where we're going. But no one really knows what the future holds in store. Plus, if you hold onto the illusion of A Plan, I think you become more limited -- or rather you limit your possibilities. You avoid the red door because you think you're destined for the green. Even when the red door is pretty and lovely smells are coming through it.

It used to amaze me when friends made life plans and really strived to realize them. A good friend from university got fantastic grades because she knew she wanted to work in a bank (eeew!) and you had to have a high GPA in order to get hired. She got everything she set out to get -- the job, a husband with a good future, a master's degree, two children, stable home. Good for her, I thought. All of it took a lot of effort, planning, perseverance. Much more effort than I could ever exert. Much more brain power than I ever had. But definitely too "known" and boring for me! She knew where she was going by the time she graduated from university. I hadn't a clue. I still don't!

I pity the people who can't embrace the unknown, revel in all its possibilities, all its twists and turns. How exciting NOT to know. So the metaphor of this One Way Ticket is much, much more significant than its reality (a cheapo air ticket to LA.)

Goodbye Tokyo. Hello...Big Question Mark!