In a commentary on the Masei (Journeys) Torah portion I once read by Rabbi Asher Brander, he quoted his friend Rabbi Pinchas Lebovic who taught that Misha Bava Kamma [1:1] calls man a mav’eh--from the Aramaic term for desire/prayer, ba’ee. Thus who we are at our core, what constitutes our essence, are our desires and dreams. When we lose sight of what our aspirations are, the movement stops and we can be overtaken by existential despair. Some might come back to themselves with what they call prayer, some with their inner truth, but what is important in moving ahead is recognizing the sanctity of us and every life circumstance we encounter. We have to ask ourselves hard questions of who we are in the world, how we interact with those around us in order to grow and fulfill our dreams. The Rabbi spoke of not always knowing why we arrived somewhere or for how long we will be there, but always having the option of taking the opportunity to grow from the experience. Thus our awareness can turn our journeys into destinations, and knowing how we arrived somewhere--can be our only way out of contraction to expansion.
As a meditation book instructs, wherever you go, there you are. So expand your vision, open your perception to the universe, engage in some spiritual stargazing. But above all else, share happiness.