I recently went to a local park along the river that has plenty of walking trails. They are color-coded and not being sure which one would be best, I picked the “red” trail. Somewhere along the way, and no, I’m not color blind, I took a wrong turn and ended up on a totally different trail. I reasoned that life can sometimes be that way and decided to share my experience.
It was an eighty-degree day and the humidity was making it seem much warmer. I had decided on this Sunday afternoon to visit a nearby park to try one of its many walking trails. I took my camera along with me, hoping to get some good nature shots along the path. One of the trails paralleled the river and along that path, I got to see a bald eagle for the first time.
Along this chosen trail, I literally came to a fork in the road. I even took a picture of it to share with a friend. I took the left-hand side and thought it was going to keep me on my chosen path. But such was not the case. The red markers became blue and yellow and I didn’t feel it wise to backtrack to correct my navigational error. So on the trail not chosen, I continued.
I used an app on my phone to keep close watch on the continued progress, but it seemed I was getting farther and farther away from where the trail would eventually end. There were signs with a phone number on them you could call, I’m assuming for situations just like this. But my ego was not going to allow me to admit I had no clue where I was headed. I just kept the faith that I would eventually end up where I had parked my car. Two hours, and 3.9 miles later, I made it back to my starting point. My shirt was sopping wet and I realized that I needed to be more mindful next time there were forks in the road to be taken.
Life can be this way as well. We can have a path that we’ve chosen to be on. We can set out with the best of intentions to chart our courses through life. But sometimes we make choices that send us along another path, one we didn’t intend to take.
I look at the life choices I’ve made over the past couple of years and have to know that at those points in time, I did what I thought was best. But in the process of living life on life’s terms, things ended up in a much different place than I thought they would. And I was left to be aware of what had transpired and decided what to do next. Sometimes the changes in the course were due to my own actions, and sometimes the behaviors and actions of others. But change they did and change they will continue to do. It’s up to me to take a step back and consider the next best course of action.
On yesterday’s hike, I continued to move forward, knowing full-well the path would lead me back to where I started. I couldn’t dictate the course, I just knew I needed to say on it. My life with its many twists and turns, will send me on “alternate journeys” that I did not intend to take. But I must stay the course and finish the race. And above all else, not give up hope.
“Keep the faith and trust the journey.”
David Lee
David Lee 