Discovering new paths
March 27, 2008
This last weekend I walked with a couple of friends in a beautiful wooded area near the local lake. I found an easy hike since we don’t do this regularly, and we headed out for a walk hoping to find sign posts along the way for direction. None of us knew where we were going. We dodged poison oak, enjoyed spring wildflowers, and made choices about the way to go as we approached a fork in the path with no clear direction. We hoped it would take us where we were heading. We found the lake, and along the way made friends with a woman and her dog, who was having a blast retrieving a stick from the lake over and over again. Such joy and energy! The temperature was just perfect to be out in nature, the quiet was refreshing and we actually saw some wild turkeys and heard a few birds singing above our heads. We had a great time visiting, talking about future vacations and just laughing. It was a great day. On our way back from the lake, we took a path that lead us to a different destination than the one we wanted. We received differing advice from fellow hikers about how to get to our destination. Of our choices, we decided to take the quicker but steeper path up the hill. I couldn’t help but see the similarities of our hike with the path we take during our lives. We start down our path with no specific map telling us which fork in the road to take along the way. We try to dodge things that are not good for us, find friends and happy experiences along the way, receive lots of suggestions from others telling us which way to go, and sometimes take the trail that involves a struggle but sure feels good when we’re successful. It helps to keep your wits about you, have friends and supporters close, and listen to the voice inside, telling you which path seems right for you. Enjoy the journey.
Gail Brokaw, Life Coach You CAN create the change you want in your life.
