Questions Journal -- Make a Habit of Collecting Questions

Notes from the Underground!

Collecting questions is one of the more exciting writing habits I've developed over many years. I've gathered various questions, from random, self-reflecting types of things to particular, business-oriented questions. 

I've had a long and varied career working in everything from music and the arts to high-tech manufacturing, software quality assurance, worldwide product support, and project management with some quite successful ventures.

These experiences led me to create long lists of questions for thousands of situations. Here's one that I captured in my journal, along with a personal response.

For a person you loved deeply, would you be willing to move to a distant country knowing there would be little chance of seeing your friends or family again?

My answer to this question differs from what it would have been a few years ago. But even then, I had already begun to consider moving to a distant place to try and find a better life.  

That's when I first made a trip to the Island of Guam, thinking I might move there more or less permanently. I also realized that I might only see a few of my most important friends or family members for a long time or possibly never again. 

It was both exciting and sad, as I recall. But due to many unforeseen circumstances, a permanent move just didn't work out for me, and I returned to the mainland of North America. I spent much of the next several years working in the high-tech industry until circumstances changed again, and life turned in a new direction.

On the one hand,  it is possible to make a significant move and not look back, but at the same time, I'm less likely to do something like that now, even though I have friends who have made that choice. I'm concerned about the state of the world and the rise of more and more terrorist activities, especially involving air travel. That kind of thing makes me want to stay put, keep my feet on the ground, and not engage in unnecessarily risky behavior. I'm hesitant to even think about it these days.

I know it's easy for some people to take this risk, but most are approximately 20 years younger than I am now. Twenty years ago, I was willing to take that risk, even without a person I deeply loved, just for the adventure of it. Today I feel less need for the extensive experience as I've already lived out many of my dreams along the way.

I know there are still many adventures ahead and plenty of things to see and do in the more immediate world around us. Sometimes the most extraordinary experiences, the keys to joy and bliss, can be found in our backyards.

Like Dorothy in the film version of The Wizard of Oz found, everything she dreamed of was not to be located in some faraway land but in her own heart and with those nearest to her. To quote performance artist Laurie Anderson "Heaven is like where you are right now, only much, much better."