The Journey of Life
You have no doubt heard these words before: life is a journey. Each day with which we are blessed offers us many opportunities and diverse choices. We are in constant motion, on the paths that we choose, moving in the direction that we deem best. Some of the aspects of these journeys are out our control. The best we can do is roll with the punches. But this does not mean we have no control at all. When the path gets rough, the best strategy to cope is to dust ourselves off, continue moving and resolve to make the most of the resulting situations. This is the journey of life.
Thinking back on the course of your life, did you ever wonder what things would be like if you had taken the other fork in the many junctures of your life? Our roads were ours to navigate and we encountered many forks. What if you had decided on option B rather than option A? We all have a laundry list of decisions which we second-guess on a regular basis. It is human nature. There is no wrong or right answer, but the “if-onlys” continually flow.
If, like my husband and I, you are “second time arounders,” you understand exactly what I mean. With three beautiful children, there is no way that I can consider my marriage to my first husband a mistake. And yet, we are no longer together. What’s more, I truly believe in my heart of hearts that my second husband and I were meant to be together. Again, this is not a mistake. So how does one reconcile this conflict? The path I trod was the right one for me, and yet it was fraught with pain and struggles. How can this be the “right” path?
It is human nature to wonder what WOULD have happened, if only we had done something differently, or made different choices. But this is not conducive to peace of mind. If we can reconcile in our minds that we did the very best we could, considering the circumstances, we would all be better off. Believe it or not, none of us is perfect. None of us has a crystal ball to see the results of our actions. At the time we made major decisions in our lives, we did the best we knew how, and we hoped for the best.
Interestingly enough, as we get further and further down the road of life, and as we put more and more miles behind us, our decisions are laced with the wisdom of our years, are less impetuous and better thought-out. Things we thought we knew when we were in our late teens and early twenties seem clearly irrational and a bit ridiculous now. But we live and we learn by our mistakes. Hindsight, as you know, is one of the best teachers, but also one of the least forgiving.
The interesting thing about the journey of life is that there is no one true path. No direct route. While this might seem a bit frightening, it is also exciting. You are the master of your own fate. The choices are yours and yours alone. Do the best you can, consult those people in your life that might be able to offer the best directions, and embrace all the detours you encounter. A turn down an alternate path might very well lead to adventures untold.
Most of all, be adventurous. Recently I had the honor of hosting a birthday celebration for a truly inspirational 103-yearold gentleman. Still, working two days a week at the business which he founded, he was recently honored by the Philadelphia Eagles for his 40 years as a season ticket holder. I asked him his secret to longevity and happiness. His reply was simple. “Keep moving,” he said. Oh, and “Ice cream every day.” What else do you need on your journey of life? Enjoy it. Share it. View it first hand and not through the lens of your cell phone camera. Live it, embrace it and treasure it as the gift that it is.