Tourist or Pilgrim?

As I step forward into a new week, I am recalling the contrast that some have made between tourists and pilgrims. Tourists, they say, are travelers who like to have a clear sense of what each day will bring. After reading the guidebooks and mapping out their itinerary, their peace of mind comes from the experience of having everything go as planned. Because of this, any deviation from the anticipated course of events makes them uneasy. Sometimes, it even makes them angry and aggressive. Tourists are also prone to despair when an experience they are having does not correspond with the perfect one they have imagined. Five days of pouring rain in Hawaii or even one of two nights in a hotel that does not resemble pictures they saw on the internet are huge disappointments. Pilgrims, on the other hand, are travelers who wait to see what the day will bring to them. They may have a destination in mind, but their sense of adventure and their openness to change cause them to react in very different ways when things don't go as planned. For them, when change occurs, the first question that often comes to mind is: "What new doors might this be opening for me?" The Pilgrim Credo, which begins with the acknowledgement that "I am not in control", is a gift that creates space in their lives for discovery and trust. Because of this, they are rarely disappointed. I have to admit that in my daily journey I am a one who waffles back and forth between the two. Some days, I am more tourist than pilgrim. On others, I am led deeper into the pilgrim way- and, in this new week, that is where I want to dwell, because that is where I find a much greater sense of peace and well-being.