Follow A Different Path

Wouldn't it be sad to always follow the road everyone else travels? Yet, that seems to be what most folks do. It's expected that we trot along to the same old song, like little people soldiers afraid to show their uniqueness. What are we so afraid of? Failure? Or success? Being a little different is scary. But I think it frightens other people more than it frightens the person on the different path.

I'm reminded of a young woman, ever the face of bravery, as she accepts a job across the country. What daring, we think. How foolish, we warn. Is she following a different path or only pretending? See, she has friends there to pave the way. "How lame it would be," she insists, "to go somewhere and not know anyone." She looks at me. Judging. That was my path. I keep my mouth firmly closed, determined not to comment on the superior attitude she emits. Inside I think how lame it is to only follow a path already laid out by others. How sad it is to only pretend to live our dreams while really we are hitchhiking on the dreams of someone else.

It is not safe to travel a different path. Sometimes the world seems to explode around us. What was seemingly steady and secure is gone and we are left adrift. Alone. It is at those times that we learn exactly who we are. We learn what lies inside us, in those deep crevices that haunt our inner soul. The different path challenges us and yet we struggle forward.

Sometimes the path isn't one we chose. People die without warning. Jobs end unexpectedly. Life changes in a second. Suddenly that path that was so secure is gone and life forces us onto a different road. We learn to start new businesses. We learn we really can get by on less. We learn that different doesn't have to mean bad.

I'm so grateful for that different road I traveled. Sure, I'd change a few things if I could. What person wouldn't? But I experienced things and met people who blessed my life so deeply. I've grown and learned what matters in this world. I've learned how strong I can be, how much I can endure, and how deep happiness really can go.

Embrace your life. Live it your way. Follow your unique path. You'll be so glad you did.

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