At times, I compare living life to traveling down a long road. Usually, we can choose to veer off on different paths and sometimes it is not our chosen path we are guided down. I have discussed before how much of our lives are choices we have made. It may not seem we made the choice, but when examined closely, we chose. Reasons vary; it was the easiest choice, the lesser of two evils, a quick choice, choices to please others … whatever the reason, in the end, we chose.
I can safely say that no two creatures, human or animal, have walked the same road. Every single life is unique. I would love to hear all of the stories. Although an impossible feat, I believe my curiosity makes me a good listener.
If all our roads upon which we travel were smooth and straight, how monotonous would that become, and fast! The same is true with life, we hit the bumpy, curvy roads and we become wide awake, ready to hold our own for the ride. And in our lives, when we come into hard times and rough terrain, we buckle up for the fight. My mind just flashed a comparison of a moseying stroll on a horse through lovely pastures when, suddenly you are on a bronco ride in a rodeo. That does happen to us and sometimes at lightning speed. I also have compared life to mountains and valleys, a popular metaphor. It is impossible to stay on top of the mountains, you must visit the valleys to move forward and live your lives.
When young, our road ahead looks so long! The older we get, bumpy roads seem to increase and time has a way of shortening our road. There is nothing we can do about that except enjoy the ride and understand our roads are not always smooth nor always bumpy. Nothing lasts forever and life will turn around shortly and send us on another journey in a new direction.
No one has ever been promised a smooth ride through life because it is a learning process to which we need to pay attention. Every single day, we are learning something, whether from difficulties, grief, problems we face … lessons that make us stronger and teach us how to face what lies ahead.
As life moves on, it may seem like it is a breeze, easy peasy, our road unfolding smoothly in front of us. Have you ever stopped to think of the lessons you are learning in life? Have you noticed you tend to learn more about life during the rough riding? Pay attention to those hard lessons.
I have a favorite poem from my younger years I can recite from memory. This poem made a deep impression on me and I’d like to pass these words of deep meaning on to you:
Along the Road
Robert Browning Hamilton
“I walked a mile with Pleasure, she chattered all the way, But left me none the wiser for all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow and ne’er a word said she, But oh, the things I learned from her, When sorrow walked with me!”
It is such a simple, short poem, but I could never explain life lessons in better words. So pay attention to those lessons, learn from them, share, and pass them along to others.
