Tonight, I called my mom for a catching up chat. What started as a conversation about what was going on in our lives turned into me inquiring for her wisdom. Of all the pearls of wisdom she gave, one stuck in my brain and inspired this note. She said, "Sometimes a person comes along to show us our way through the trees when we're looking into the forest. They show us a tree and it's up to us to decide if we go around it, climb it, or let it stand in our way."
Perhaps this comment called out to me because it coinsides with my theory that everyone enters our life for a reason. Often we are oblivious to their purpose until they're gone. In my past, I can recall many times when I entered a person's life and helped them. I think it's common for us to believe a person is in our lives for one reason only to discover later that we were meant to be there for an entirely different purpose. Since I have had a bit of experience with this, I am learning to think outside the box when things go in a different direction that I originally planned. I have written before about Virginia Wolfe saying, "Arrange whatever pieces come your way." I think there should be an added comment to that which says, "...even when they come at you from a new direction."
As we weave our ways through the wooded areas of life, we frequently find trees that block our intended paths. These obstacles seem to come at the exact moment we think our path is clear. Although we cannot control that which blocks the path, we certainly have control over how we handle it. You can chose to go around it by avoiding the situation. But, avoidace will only lead to upturned roots that will trip you later down the road. If you face the issue head on and choose to climb the tree, you may find yourself ending up at the top of the tree. From there, you are able to see everything you have confronted. After climbing up, you are able to get yourself back down to the path safely and know your way next time this tree jumps in front of you. The worst thing you can do is continue to stand in front of that tree. Inaction is a coward's move. No one ever got anywhere by doing nothing. Sometimes it's fear that paralyzes us to stand where we are instead of moving forward.
At the end of the day, none of us were given maps to navigate our paths. (And if they were, I have a serious bone to pick with someone!) Life doesn't allow us to go backwards, so it's pointless to "what if" ourselves. We are only able to control what we do next. An easy path is never guaranteed, but it gets easier with experience and the help of a good support system. I like to think of good friends as a tree stand. They help us find our footing when the next branch looks out of reach. And sometimes the best tree stand is that person we didn't expect to enter our lives. We never know if when we climb down, that person will still be right beside us as we continue down our path. Perhaps they have served their purpose after our descent, or maybe it's the compass we were searching for all along.
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