at the water's edge

"Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!" [Alice in Wonderland]

A discussion has ensued since I posted Kerouac's self confusion upon awakening in Des Moines. Some of us have taken his words and Brandon's question quite literally, sharing our own experiences of waking up and knowing or not knowing who we are or where we are. And some of us have looked at Kerouac's words as a figurative example of change and growth.

I can say that I am the same person no matter where I might be, that my core values are the same, that my reactions are predictable. But there is also the feeling that I'm a little different as I begin each day whether at home or someplace new. To me living is about this difference. We have options. We can take that "different" feeling and create a new agenda, even create unpredictable reactions, even if the place doesn't change.

I think what I've been trying to figure out in my last several postings is if changing our mental and emotional place is an adequate substitute for changing our physical place.