Some Kind of Destination

[00:00:11] What's worthwhile considering what we consume, believe, say and do towards peace of mind, vitality of body, and joy of spirit? I'm Ramsey Zimmerman. Here's some more healthy living, motivation and discussion. [00:00:31] Hey there, it's Ramsey here. It's been a couple weeks since I posted an episode because I have been traveling and I'd like to tell you all about it. This podcast has always been about my journey, and I wouldn't say that my journey is over, but I somehow feel like I've reached a destination. [00:00:57] You know, I don't do that much travel. [00:01:00] Circumstances or fate or destiny put me in multiple trips the last few weeks. [00:01:07] First to Salem, Oregon, then Raleigh, North Carolina, Williamsburg, Virginia, Washington, D.C. [00:01:16] and Denver, Colorado. I got to spend a lot of quality time with my son, my daughter, my parents, my wife, and all of my high school friends. [00:01:27] I traveled around the country, to the west coast, to the east coast, to the mountains and to sea level. Different climates, different places, all at the end of summer. You know, I'm not usually an adventurer. I'm not the adventurer in my family. That's my wife. She's the adventurer. Generally, I'm the builder. But, you know, I guess it was time for me to get out there, be active, and take some trips. This world we live in is so spread out physically, and yet it's also so potentially small and interconnected through our technology. [00:02:09] For me, I feel like there are so many miles and years between the people that I care about. Spread across the country, spread across the years. [00:02:22] But in taking these trips, that all didn't seem to matter. [00:02:26] Time folded on itself. [00:02:28] I saw people that I hadn't seen for 30 years. [00:02:32] People look the same even as they look different. [00:02:35] I drove miles and saw landscapes in parts of the country where I grew up. As a kid, I even walked the streets of my old neighborhood. [00:02:46] The trees were bigger, the houses were different, the streets were wider, changed, and yet still the same. I took this trip and I feel like I accomplished something. What trip started with taking my son down to college in Salem, Oregon. We drove down in the same car, but I got a new one and he got my old one. [00:03:09] We also made a friend at the dealership, really nice guy who took a genuine interest in us, and us in him. [00:03:17] I had the honor and privilege of filling my son's pantry and fridge with food and left him at college for another year at school. [00:03:28] I traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to see my parents, and I was able to witness my mother's healing path. And I spent time walking with my dad. [00:03:39] Through their community, I rode with my sister in her mobile animal clinic and learned about her craft. [00:03:48] I'm the one who went far away. I'm the one who moved across the country. [00:03:55] I grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia. [00:03:58] My parents and my sister moved down to Raleigh not too many years after I left home. [00:04:05] But I don't get back very often to visit them or to see old friends. And this year, across my Facebook feed, I got an announcement for our 35th high school reunion. [00:04:20] I jumped at the chance. [00:04:22] Yes, it's a long ways to go for a high school reunion for an evening, but you know, I could make a whole week out of it if I visited my parents and then stayed for a while and then headed up to Washington, D.C. to hang out with my daughter who lives there. [00:04:41] So after seeing my parents and my sister, hopped into the rental car and rolled up into my hometown to have lunch with old friends that evening, I got to hug every single one of my classmates and we spoke for hours. And even though it had been years, decades since I've seen them, the next morning and got my butt kicked in pickleball by some of my friends and drove to Washington, D.C. [00:05:12] where I had the privilege of filling my daughter's shelves and fridge with food. [00:05:18] And then, sorry, I kicked her butt in pickleball. But you know, I will say that it was absolutely wonderful to join her at the center of her show. She's a performer, and when I went to see her show, I was right there in the middle of the action. [00:05:38] Soon enough, I flew home and I did not get sick, which is kind of a small miracle, having been traveling that much and seeing that many people. My wife and I flew to Colorado shortly thereafter, where I'm happy to say that I did not get eaten by a bear on that trip. I walked trails with my wife that we had missed 30 years before. When we had taken our first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. We didn't get out much because in the days before, we had spent all of our hiking energy climbing up to the top of Pikes Peak. By the time we got to Rocky Mountain, we are mostly just sitting in our foldable camp chairs looking at the mountains. [00:06:23] It occurs to me as I'm going through all this is that I think I reconnected with just about every living part of my youth over the last few weeks, and I don't take that lightly. [00:06:36] You know, this podcast has always been a chronicle of my journey. [00:06:41] It's more of a metaphorical journey because I knew when I started it that I was pretty lost. [00:06:50] I didn't know where I was in my life. I didn't know where I was going. [00:06:56] I felt wholly disconnected from my friends, my family, my people. [00:07:02] And now, here in 2026, I had the amazing experience in a few short weeks of reconnecting with basically everyone that mattered to me. That does matter to me in my childhood and in my family. [00:07:19] What an amazing blessing. [00:07:22] My journey isn't over. [00:07:25] I don't want it to be over, but I feel like I've reached some kind of destination. [00:07:30] I don't feel lost anymore. [00:07:33] I feel found. [00:07:35] I feel like I did find a lot of people. [00:07:40] I feel like I've reconnected with important people from my life. And I have to wonder. Maybe. Maybe I was never lost. [00:07:48] You know, Maybe I just thought that I was. [00:07:51] And my heart is full. [00:07:53] I still hesitate to say that out loud, lest it should break again or spill out. But it is. [00:08:01] I know that there's a lot of pain and loneliness and confusion and despair out there in the world. [00:08:10] If that's you, I pray for you. I have been. I'll continue to do so. [00:08:17] I pray that you would take heart, keep going, keep showing up. Reach out to family and friends around you. [00:08:27] Love them and let them love you back when you have the chance, when you have the opportunity. [00:08:35] Grab them, hold them, feel them, seek to understand them. I know that's terrifying. I felt that. [00:08:43] I felt alone. [00:08:45] I don't feel alone anymore. I never want to feel alone again. [00:08:50] I choose life and love and connection with people. The important people in my life. For today. That's enough. [00:09:01] Ready for more? Visit whatsworthwhile.net to listen to podcast episodes. Master your response to stress by reading my book, Stress Response, available through Amazon, or to get better before burnout sets in, by requesting the free guide. Regardless of where you are in your journey, I'd love to hear from you and talk about how we might move forward together. Please contact me, me, Ramsey Zimmerman, through the website or on social media like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or X. Thanks.