an autobiographical allegory

A couple of days ago I had a half-dream... a unique epic that happened mid-way between sleep and wakefulness.

I was simultaneously an audience member and the lead character in a story about a group of travelers working their way to a horse corral. While I had no conscious agenda, I believe what follows is an allegorical autobiography of my life.

Perhaps you can explain it better than I can...

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As I traveled to the corral in my group, we found ourselves at a rustic rest stop so that we might exit our vehicles for a short while and stretch our legs. While many of the group members lingered by the wooden shack of restrooms, I found myself drawn out a bit further… past the outlined borders of the lot.

This was when I first heard the invitation of the open range.

The sun began to set and I felt my heart begin torace. I knew that time was diminishing, only I didn't know why it mattered. Without telling anyone, I found myself chasing after the daylight as it faded on the rugged plains… even though the path I’d just left had been more concrete and outlined than this one.

It wasn't too long before my group knew was that I was gone. They looked around for me...

but only for a short while.

Eventually they resigned the search and gave up, figuring I’d gone off into the desert and been consumed by the Sun. And so they got back on the expressway and drove to the corral in their SUVs and passenger vans. As they headed out on wheels to their destination and concluded they’d never see me again… I aimlessly walked my travels on foot.

Only I did arrive at the corral. I don't know how and can't remember the details of the journey, but somehow I ended up emerging from the plains and seeing the first signs of life in the loosely landscaped vegetation. Physically I knew my body required water, and yet I confidently passed by the well with a sense that I had somehow found refreshment in the desert.

Amazingly, I arrived at the corral at the same time my group did. You should have seen the looks on their faces as they unloaded their luggage while I emerged from the cracked plains and entered the fold with a smile on my face. As they thought to ask all the usual questions, I remained quiet and helped them to empty their cartop baggage carriers.



On my way to follow the plans I was "called to" I heard another call – a deeper calling that cannot be explained or articulated but must simply be followed. Compelled toward it, I took the dirty path into the wild and still arrived where I needed to be… only more alive and invigorated than the paved path would have allowed.