Life as a Path

Look at life as a path to be walked down by an individual throughout his life, starting at birth to culminate with his death.  If you just put your head down and trudged forward as if it is a task to accomplish, all business, you will miss the beauty throughout your journey.  By meandering back and forth across the path to look out at the little things along the way, you allow for a world of simple joys and great surprises that are intended to enhance your journey. 

You will come across intersections with different trails, which are trod by others traveling along on their own paths.  Sometimes we meet up at those intersections and for awhile we walk along together down a single path.  Many crossings and meetings are brief moments and of little consequence to our journey.  Others are intended and even planned, for purposeful exchange, to revitalize us for our continued trek.  Then there are the happy surprises that, given an open heart, will enhance our ability to enjoy the path we are on.  They help us to see what we haven't seen before, maybe what was before us all the time, but our vision had been impaired or maybe due our lack of knowledge of a thing, we didn't know of it's importance to us.

Sometimes our light goes out and the path becomes dark and unfortunately, some paths we cross bring travellers that mean us harm.  They rush in and knock us off our intended path, or force us down paths that are not our own.  The journey now becomes a quest to find our own path again and until then, we are cautious and fearful.  Even when we find the right path for us, uncertainty and pain of remembering the harm, may draw us to other paths in our effort to steer clear experiencing that again.  We must discern and trust that our true path is where we are supposed to be.  Once we have again found our own safe path, then seeing the beauty and experiencing the joys can be reborn.  We might miss a little here and there, because we are now watching over our shoulders and looking to make safe haven before the light of day is gone, fearful of what has come before.  We are suspicious of other paths now and those travelling on them.   

Other times, the path widens to accomodate a pair of hikers for a longer stretch.  Now there are two sets of eyes, two noses, four hands & two hearts, that share their own unique perception of the joys and beauty around them.  When you are looking that way, they point out the sites this way.  Sometimes one will help clarify what is being seen by the another.  Now you help each other over rocks and downed logs and warn of a root sticking up that could trip you.  If you fall, they are there to help you up.  You can walk side by side, or let the stronger lead, encouraging the weaker. 

When the path gets difficult and one feels their path is not as good as the other's or when it is perceived one is gaining more than the other, tensions can arise, causing the weary traveller to project envy, selfishness, suspicion, anger, accusations upon the other.  Paths can divide for a time, to allow the travelers to regain their bearing and balance.  Paths sometimes part for good, but stay close enough together to continue to share in the benefits of those separate paths.  You can still see each other and are at hand when needed or wanted, yet we are on our own path, free to sit down on a log or to bathe in the creek if we so choose, without interupting the journey of another.  Noone crowds your path or hands you another pack to carry.  You get up and start your hike and end it, when you choose. 

The scenery around our paths change, throughout our journey, offering new sights, new experiences, new beauty.  Where lush foliage once stood is now barren and sparse.  We sometimes question whether we have veered off our once familiar path. If you are distracted, do not pay attention or simply ignore your path, you have done yourself a disservice.  You have cut yourself off from what the path has to offer, but there is no one to blame save yourself. The path is yours to walk at your own pace and to glean from it what is rightfully meant for you. With an open mind and heart we see it is indeed our path and continue on to experience the whole dimension of our precious journey.