Avenue of Stillness: No Finish Line

“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so simple, and yet everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” – Alan Watts

We spend most of our lives running a race we never agreed to enter. From childhood, we’re measured and ranked — learning that our worth depends on our pace. Faster means better. Achievement means arrival. But where exactly is there?

Alan Watts reminds us that there is no finish line. Life isn’t a straight track with a prize at the end. It’s a living rhythm — inhale and exhale, ebb and flow, bloom and rest. When we race through it, we mistake movement for meaning and speed for success.

We’ve been taught that slowing down equals falling behind, but that’s the illusion. Life is not asking us to compete — it’s asking us to notice. Notice the sunlight through the window. The sound of laughter. The texture of breath in your chest.

The truth is, stillness is not laziness. It’s trust. It’s the calm knowing that you’re not late for your own life. You don’t need to push the river; it’s already flowing. The garden blooms in its time. You are part of that same timing.

When you release the idea of 'ahead' and 'behind,' peace arrives quietly. You begin to see that nothing was ever missing — not your progress, not your worth, not your place. The only thing missing was your presence.

~ You may ponder along with me: What am I racing toward — and what am I afraid might catch me if I stop?