Traditionally, a pilgrim is someone who is on a journey to a holy place. But I don’t think a person’s travels have to be religiously motivated in order for that person to qualify as a pilgrim.
We’re all pilgrims, of course, in the philosophical “life is a journey” kind of way. We’re all on journeys somewhere, it’s just that we’re all walking in different directions, at different speeds, with different motivations.
Portia Nelson, an American composer and actress, summed up her life’s journey pretty concisely in the descriptively-titled poem, “An Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.”
Chapter I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.
Chapter II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter V
I walk down another street.
Not everyone’s sidewalks are as filled with holes as Nelson’s was, of course, but each pilgrim’s path has some kind of obstacles in it. So whether you’re looking back on obstacles you overcame in 2018, or wondering which street to walk down in 2019, begin the second week of the new year with this piece as the soundtrack to your pondering.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Paulus stays away from dissonance more than most modern composers, but he throws in the occasional hole in the sidewalk, like the chord at 0:48.
2. Michael Dennis Browne, who provided words for much of Paulus’ work, gives lyrics here that are relentlessly optimistic, whether you take them as religious or not: “Even with darkness sealing us in / We trust in you.”
3. After three minutes of gorgeous harmony, he ends the piece with all four vocal parts on the same note.
Recommended listening activity:
Taking a sober second look at your resolutions.