Release Rigid Expectations

"Without the quest, there can be no epiphany."
Constantine E. Scaros

What is a quest—A pursuit, a hunt, a search or something more? To me a quest is enveloped in mystery and a deep desire for something. A hunt can be as simple as a scavenger hunt, but a quest reminds me of something out of the age of chivalry or the time of fairy tales or the time of myths.

Quests—involve a depth of involvement. They engage every aspect of a person and the outcome isn't trivial. To win a scavenger hunt or to find the best yoga teacher or to use a GPS to locate a place all represent success, but they don't have the same depth as a quest.

Looking for the Holy Grail was probably the penultimate quest—yet don't we all engage in some sort of quest? Looking for meaning, seeking God—finding our place in the world.

Just because one doesn't immediately find whatever it is at the end of a quest doesn't mean that it's time to put down the walking stick, kick off the boots, and accept that the task is impossible.

Maybe it's time to release rigid expectations. It's liberating, freeing to realize that our real quest differs from the one we originally and doggedly sought.