Emmaus Labyrinth #49: Penn State Berks Campus, Wyomissing PA

This is one of a series of posts about a trip I took to walk labyrinths in July 2022. See this post to see why I refer to these labyrinths as my “Emmaus labyrinths.” Note: the numbering refers not to how many labyrinths I walked on this trip, but to the total number I’ve blogged about so far.

This is a very nice 11-circuit Chartres replica on the campus of Penn State Berks, with a painted concrete path inlaid with dark walls.

This was the second labyrinth I walked on the first day of my trip. At the first labyrinth, I asked about what “grief” I carry with me. It was clear to me that the grief I’m carrying is associated with making mistakes and being wrong. This didn’t surprise me at all. I hate the feeling of being wrong.

So the question I brought into this labyrinth was “What do I need to hear when I am wrong?” Here’s what I experienced on the walk:

I need to hear that life is not about being perfect, not about understanding everything. I always wanted that to be the case, and I always expected that of myself. But it’s just not about that. I need to hear that life isn’t about finding ways to avoid bothering people. I don’t need to attack myself when it seems I’ve done so. On the contrary, life is actually about making mistakes and growing from them. Life is actually about being wrong and learning from it. And when I realize that I have been wrong, or have made a mistake, I don’t have to understand everything perfectly in that moment. It takes time to grow. It takes time to learn, and I need to hear that that’s okay. Life is not a race to a goal, but rather a chance to slowly learn and grow, and to make mistakes and be wrong.