The Path

There is a path in a forest ahead of you. It varies in direction and ease of access. Sometimes the environment is easy to navigate, in other areas there are branches that reach out to snag your arm if you’re not careful. The path also seems to split off, meander, and even cross over itself. Through the trees, you can barely see interesting things nearby, such as a little bridge that goes over a creek, or a little underpass, with a pleasant stone archway. The path is yours alone to take, but you must always move forward. On this path, there is no going back.

The most amazing thing about this path is that it appears to be magical. As you move forward, you see it branch out into new directions. You might have an idea of where the path will take you, but you do not know the true challenge until you have actually walked it. You can guide the path to nearly anywhere you want to be. But you cannot affect the obstacles ahead. Those you must choose to go over, or around. Or, you can just choose to go a different direction, except… that might change your destination if you do this too many times. It’s your choice, after all. Sound familiar? It should. You’re on a path right now. It’s the path of life. Your path of life.

Consider where you are at in life. Is it where you expected to be? I’m going to guess not, because that’s just how it tends to work for most of us. Not that I mind - one of the most wonderful things I love about life’s path is that it leads us to destinations that we never expected. Some good, some bad, but every last one of them was ours to experience. This path is the story of who we are today. Not everyone sees this path as wonderful, though. That’s where regret tends to come in. We’ve all felt it. “Man, I regret doing that”, “I wish I could have just done things differently”. Guess what, buttercup? You can’t change what you’ve done. You can have regret, but that mood is a game-killer when it comes to staying motivated to move forward. When navigating this bumpy path, perhaps it’s helpful to reduce the time you spend thinking of “what do I do to fix the past?”, to “how do I get there from here?” From here, being the operative phrase.

It helps if you can accept who you are as a person. Are you kind, generous, and wiser over the years? I hope so. I certainly feel like I am. I know that my mom would be proud of me, if she could see me. I might not be super successful, or famous, or rich, or any of that, but overall, I’m not unhappy with who I’ve become. It’s all in my hands.

So do I have regrets? A bit, sure. They never really go away. I just can’t let them sit right in front of me, blocking my vision. Have I made mistakes? Woo boy, you bet I have. I’ve made so many mistakes over the years. But they’re my mistakes. I own every one of them. The best thing to do is learn from them, continue to own them, and try like mad to stay on the path that I am choosing for where I want to be next.

What about your path? Are you happy with where you are? Is it close to where you wanted to be in life?