In the early 1990s, I journeyed across the country to Concord, Massachusetts, a place that had long held a fascination for me due to its rich history and the constellation of renowned authors who once resided there, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

My autumn visit was particularly magical. The landscape was ablaze with vibrant foliage, and Walden Pond mirrored the lively yellows, oranges, and reds of the surrounding trees.

Standing before the replica of Thoreau’s small cabin, I encountered these words from his book, Walden:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”  

This passage resonated deeply within me, prompting a profound realization: despite the pressing financial demands of life, I needed to strive for a life not just enjoyable, but meaningful—to recognize life as a precious gift, not to be squandered.

This sentiment was further amplified by the in-flight movie, Dead Poets Society, where Robin Williams’ character exhorted his students to “Carpe Diem,” Latin for “Seize the Day.” The synchronicity was undeniable.

Is there a longing within the depths of your heart, a calling you have yet to answer?

When we want a different reality than we are experiencing–to go somewhere else or to stop the tape of experience in our life–we are not grounded. However, such feelings are precisely what propels most of us to seek the happiness that only spiritual fulfillment can deliver.

Accordingly, when we embark on our spiritual journey we feel like we need to go somewhere, but in truth the spiritual journey is not traveling in space or between dimensions. It is simply discovering who we truly are, and settling into the vast space of the here and now.

Being grounded is an explosion of contentment and tapping in to our innate happiness. It is a recognition and experience of the the fullness and completeness of who we already are.

Instead of escaping to another reality, we need to set our roots down into the reality that we inhabit, and bring in to share the wisdom and compassion of our highest expression. As we do so, we can step into the purpose for which we inhabit our body, and be a blessing to others.