Trails not taken



First frost brings falling maple leaves

I thought that I had put a wrap on thoughts from the trail, but realized there is still at least one more big issue I didn't address; trails not taken.  Whenever we choose to go down a trail, it means there are a multitude of others we can't go down, at least at that same time.

For me, one of the hardest things in life is saying "no" to great opportunities.  There are so many wonderful places to work, play and volunteer. Every day I've got about a weeks worth of things I would like to get done.  It can be frustrating to only have 24 hours in a day, and then out of those precious hours one has to take time out to eat and sleep!

Different life stages bring different trail choices.  High school seniors face perhaps their first really big trail decisions... what next; work/college/vocational school/university? Where one chooses to work and live, or not work and live, are also important trail decisions, that may need to be decided multiple times throughout one's life.

Whichever trail we are on, we need to take time out to recognize it and to assess whether it is still a right place for us to be.  It can be a huge distraction to spend time thinking about how great things might be down some other trail, and then not fully appreciate the trail we're on.  If we don't think we're on the right trail, it is up to us to move along to new paths.

Trail questions....

What are some trails you've made a decision not to go down?

How good are you at moving on after you've chosen not to travel down a trail?

Is there a trail you are now on that you need to get off?

What might be a trail you've passed up that could be worth revisiting?



Maple leaves by pond