In Homer’s Odyssey, an epic poem written somewhere around 700 BC, the protagonist Odysseus has begun his long journey home following the fall of Troy. Encompassing more than two decades of wandering and relentless searching, Odysseus, finally and forever, finds his way home.
But his journey was not an easy one.
At one point in the story, Odysseus finds himself confronting the dangerous and insidious call of the Sirens. As you may remember, the Sirens were three very dangerous women—seductresses all—who lived on an island surrounded by sheer cliffs and jagged rocks. Unwary sailors who traveled these treacherous Mediterranean waters were compelled by the Siren’s enchanting music and voices, only to find themselves shipwrecked on the rocky coastline.
In many ways, each of us is searching for our own way home–and the Siren’s call threatens our safe return.
After hours and hours of quiet reflection, I know in my heart that this man’s Siren can be found in the trappings of this world. The seductive promise of meaning and purpose inherent in work-related pursuits is enticing indeed. But the elegant and enduring truth of the matter is this: contentment is found in simplicity–not in having or doing—it exists in being.
Kicking around wide-open spaces, sitting on a country road watching stars, drinking beers with new-found friends, and taking in all the natural world has to offer are the simplest of pleasures; I’m going all-in that this approach will allow me, like Odysseus, to find my way home at last.
Simple things, somewhere on the Central Plains
Leave a note.