You are never quite the same once you begin your spiritual journey. Once you open your mind to possibilities greater than yourself, these possibilities become reality. You discover there is a God. You discover you are greater than you ever imagined. You discover you are connected at the level of Spirit with all that is. You discover that Spirit is all there is, and once you make this discovery, try as you might, you cannot go back to small thinking.
You may give up your meditative practice for a while. You may go back to focusing on material matters for a while. You may pull into your shell and focus on only your troubles for a while, but after a while dissatisfaction wells up, and you know within where relief lies. It lies back on the path … the path that leads to joy and peace. And so, the journey continues … never ending, but always satisfying, for the journey truly IS the destination.