Every human being is on a journey. Some are open to the endless possibilities this life has to offer while others run to the nearest exit.
This journey intertwines with others we meet on the road and these exchanges can lead us in new directions.
When we are young we see our futures as endless possibilities and set forth to follow our dreams. Seldom do we allow ourselves to see the world through the eyes of others.
Many of us allow socio and geographic conditions to dictate our paths and without intervention, these paths become well-travelled and somewhat monotonous.
Many of us take the well-trodden path and avoid forging our way through an undiscovered trail that could lead to opportunities unbeknown to each of us.
An old man travelling on a winding road came across a younger man sitting on a stone at a crossroads. The old man asked the young man if he was lost and the young man replied “I’m not sure. I was given directions and followed them until I was distracted by a beautiful woman.” The old man asked where the woman was now and the young man replied, “I’m not sure, she left me behind”. The young man looked at the old man, whose face was wrinkled and worn, and asked where he was going. The old man took a deep breath and proceeded to explain to the young man that he had travelled the world and seen its wonders. In all his travels, he had seen many beautiful things and that each had opened up many opportunities for him.
The young man asked if he could follow the old man and learn from him. The old man ran his fingers through his gray hair, took another deep breath and then began to speak. “Your path is not my path but we can learn from each other and the world around us.” The two men talked for a brief while before going their separate ways.
The young man decided to forge a path of his own and the world revealed itself to him in ways that no one could have taught him and he too was able to share with others the possibilities that abound.
Wesley Chu, the author of The Lives of Tao, wrote;
“Look to your right… It is the path back home. If you choose, you can take it. It is safe, easy, and comfortable. You do not have to work out or fight or do anything else you do not want to…
Or you can keep moving forward. I will not lie to you. I cannot predict what may become of you. It will require a lot of training, hard work, study, and danger. But in the very end, you will know strength. I swear it. You might just become someone who will make a difference in the world.”
We will all reach the end of our journey and at that point, the clarity of our choices is what will determine our successes and failures.
What path have you taken? It’s never too late to forge your own and take the road less travelled.
Photo Credit
Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash
Guest Author Bio
Steve Godfrey
A small town storyteller trying to make sense in a wired world.
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