Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture: 1

Growing up in a military family, I moved four times in six years. Coming from a long history of military backgrounds, both my mom and dad moved around frequently growing up as well. The thought of staying in one place for an extended amount of time is still strange to me. Not that I enjoyed moving around a lot, but I loved the idea of being able to recreate myself in a new place. The idea that people would not know my life story and would know me as the person I am today was very appealing to me. I loved and still love the potential that new places hold. Turner states that this transition phase, the state of being liminal, "is not only transition but also potentiality, not only "going to be" but also"what may be" (Turner 3). Turner's definition of liminality defines my exact excitement for going to college-- the potential it holds for me and my future. Although feeling in a constant state of transition and living in the "in between" is not comfortable, it has taught me to be a dreamer and see potential in everything and every place. In class, this idea of liminality is usually related to the trail and how first you feel out of place and you don't feel like you belong to society yet you don't belong to the trail year either. But through this sense of not belonging, you are able to gain perspective and figure out what is truly important to you and what you want to bring back to your life when you return from the trail or in my case, the new "home". Removing yourself from the "day-to-day operations" can be beneficial to creating the life you have always imagined for yourself (Turner 3). Although I do not wish to move around for the rest of my life, I do wish to keep my sense of awe and wonder of new places and the new perspectives that being liminal provides.