Quo Vadis?

via Daily Prompt: Sail

There comes a point in life when you realize that you need a direction to follow.  Your life starts as a follower and you are just happy, contented, and, without question,  follow where you are nudged. For some, this guided life continues for a number of years while others are prematurely abandoned of guidance and will lead an aimless life.  Your eyes open up along the way and you start to ask yourself who you are, what you are, and what you want to be.  You look at people around you and admire them for what they are.  You try to emulate them.  You start dreaming.  You start following your dream and, along the way, you encounter the fact that some dreams are not so easily achieved.

You reach a fork-on-the-road in your life.  You look right and left.  A decision has to be made on which direction to take.  You look back and think about where you came from.  You are tempted to start backtracking but the road back has suddenly become blurred and you know that the only way to move is either sideways or forward.  Sometimes, it is not a fork-on-the-road but rather a crossroad that faces you.  It becomes complicated.

You ask people along the way.  They point you toward a path and give you advise.  One path looks rough and difficult.  Another looks smooth and easy.  Both offers the promise of reward at the end of the journey.

You pick a path.  You follow the path and find out that there are several side alleys along the path.  It feels like you are playing a board game and quickly learn that taking the alleys can either reward or penalize you.  The consequences are real and can be uplifting or frustrating.    Aside from the alleys, the path itself reaches several forks or crossroads at irregular intervals and decisions has to be made.  You learn along the way.

There are others traveling with you along the same path.  You walk with them and at some point you decide whether to stay or break away and follow your own path.  You walk alongside with some because they make the journey light and enjoyable.  Some become a burden and, like a heavy luggage, has to be unloaded and left somewhere.  You watch while some who walk with you decide which fork or crossroad to take. You either don’t see them again or meet them again further down the road.  At this point, some other traveler stops you and ask for directions.

Ultimately, you realize that the path will never cease because the path that you are taking is the path of life.  It will continue until death and more forks and crossroads will be reached.  Your past experience and lessons help make decision-making easier and can make you sail through the path or can sometimes make you crawl through it.  You look at the horizon and you only see the path without end, for now.