Pebble on the Tongue*: Quo Vadis?

In a season of bewilderment like our own, a word from African tradition may prove useful:

When you are not clear on a destination,
You do well to remember whence you came.

That is, recall

• the seeking of generations that preceded you
• the things you happily left behind
• the hunger that set your journey in motion
• the costly, dead-end byways, the mirages
• the inns where you found company and shelter
• the miracle of how far the road has brought you

Such recollections can whisper where to plant next steps.

*Travelers in desert lands, facing prolonged thirst, have learned that a small pebble placed on the tongue draws saliva into the mouth and relieves the unpleasant feel of a parched mouth, allowing the senses to fasten again on the objective.