Thanks to all for the replies

Joe: You may be onto something here, but maybe you could organize a navy of misfits… on canal boats?

Nina: “to accept that what we want from life changes over time depending on circumstances” That bothered me at one time, but one day it dawned on me that the circumstance that was changing was the “me” who was doing the wanting. As we grow taller, we can see a bit farther, as we see a bit farther we often change our direction. It can be a bit frustrating when I think “how can I ever get anywhere if I keep changing my mind about where I want to go”. However, I suppose that is the price of growing, your mind changes along with you, and although you may never get to where you wanted to go, you do get to a lot of interesting places and meet a lot of interesting people along the way anyway. In the end, we all get to the same place, but I suppose it is the “I” that arrives there that makes the difference. As they say “Life is what happens to us when we busy making other plans.”

It seems to me from reading my post, other’s replies, and just thinking it over, there is a bit of conflict within me (us?). Instinctively, I want to expand and grow, learn and come to understand, to reach out and connect with others, yet I also want some peace of mind. The more I reach out and connect with others, the more what I thought I knew and understood gets challenged. What once seemed like solid ground again becomes shaky and this disturbs my peace of mind. It is sort of a catch 22. To grow entails a certain amount of growing pains. While nobody links pain (well, I suppose there are those) stagnation entails it’s own type of suffering.

@Joe: Never been to Europe, but ever since I seen a show on those canal boats I have wanted to spend a few months cruising around on them.

@cherryblossom:
“What does it mean to be fully involved in life and non-attached?” I woke up this morning contemplating something very similar.
I thought to myself while I want growth, adventure, and deeper understanding, what I think I want most at the moment is a bit of contentment. You see the paradox here? “I, want, contentment.” I have also been reviewing the 4 noble truths espoused by Buddhism, the second of which is that the origin of suffering is craving and desire. So then, is it desiring and craving contentment that is leading to my inability to find it?
On another note, more in line with your question, I have often wondered if it is possible to live the same life without suffering. If we perhaps incarnated to experience “life”, then do we dilute that experience by living it “detached” to avoid the suffering it entails. Is it still a bowl of chili without any chili powder in it, or is it just bean soup?