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Journey within

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This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago.

I have been thinking. God is like the air we breathe, ever-present and essential, and like the breeze, we cannot see Him, but we feel His presence all around us. Today I am heading to Charlotteville on the 8am bus. I bought my tickets and some extra. I have been on this journey before but this time feels different. I expect a full bus this time as the bus shelter is crowded. An old man with glasses, hat and walking stick dropped his ticket and the breeze blew it away before it could drop to the ground. I rushed to retrieve the ticket for him. The bus was here and I was seated next to the same old man. He was in a talkative mood while at the same time taking his time with his words. The first thing he said to me was, "Life is a journey that begins within you long before the road ever unfolds."

I think I get it. This means that life's journey does not begin with movement — it begins with intention. Before the bus moves, before the road curves, before anything changes outwardly, something shifts inside you first — a decision, a feeling, a readiness. That inner shift is the true beginning. So the old man is saying that life is not just about where you go physically. It is about the quiet changes happening within you along the way. The outer journey is visible; the inner journey is the real one. And maybe this trip feels different because something inside me has already begun to change. I asked the old man for some life advice and he had much to say.

Do not take things personally. Everyone is fighting battles you cannot see. Put your trust in God. Drink a glass of water when you wake up. Walk every day. The journey of success is full of failures. Those were among the advice he had for me. He laughed at how the breeze blew his ticket away. He said we can learn from the breeze. Be gentle enough to bring comfort, but strong enough to keep moving no matter what stands in your way. The breeze does not argue with the mountain; it simply finds its way around it. It does not announce its strength, yet over time it shapes coastlines and cools restless skin. Sometimes it carries things away, and sometimes it returns what was almost lost. In the same way, this journey called life will test you with resistance and uncertainty, but you must learn when to move softly and when to persist. Let your presence calm others, let your faith anchor you, and let your steps remain steady even when the road bends out of sight.
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