Getting outside your comfort zone can look like being inconsistent and not aligned at first.

For years, I dreamed of walking the Camino de Santiago, imagining pilgrimage as a grand spiritual adventure. Instead, at 67, I found myself walking through Ireland in the rain, missing home, eating too many scones, and slowly discovering that pilgrimage isn’t about escape. It’s simply life walked with greater attention.

Photo from Unsplash Every time I hear the expression, “you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child,” I feel a flicker of resistance. It irks me that my happiness is tied to someone else’s well-being. And yet, when my son was hit hard by circumstances beyond his control this year, I found myself lying in bed worrying about him. Will he be okay? What can I do to help? I know I’m not the only one. My peers are also enmeshed in their grown kids’ lives. We talk to them compulsively. When we’re...