Alternative Routes

There are very few thing in life that go exactly as planned. Our lives are constantly influenced and altered throughout the course of our existence, by means that we are incapable of controlling. Sure, we like to think we have a firm grip on the wheel, that we can choose which roads we take, and at what speeds, but that is rarely the case. In reality, it’s more like you’re a child in the backseat, and Life is your parent driving the car.

Usually, we are completely comfortable, just enjoying the ride going from point A to point B. We trust Life to get us to our destination safely, wherever it may be. We might even get too comfortable and trust Life so much, we just drift asleep as the journey takes place. But sometimes when we wake up, we can see beads of sweat forming on Life’s brow line through the rear-view mirror: the windows are up and the doors are locked, this is never a good sign.

Immediately, you know that you’re lost. Even still, you trust that Life knows which direction to go, maybe you even look at a map and help to find the proper route. That’s actually one of the few times that Life will allow you to give directions. It’s a very rare moment for Life to come to an intersection, then turn to you and say “Where do YOU want to go?”, so cherish those moments and choose wisely.

Rarely do we encounter an opportunity where we have full control over what we want to see and experience. It is not often enough that we get to experience new scenes and destinations of our choosing, so whenever the offer is put on the table, take full advantage of it. And don’t ever sell yourself short: think big, think dreams.

I, for instance, was recently presented with the opportunity to write this column. I had never written professionally before, only as a hobby or on forums, so I was hesitant to accept at first. I just didn’t think anybody would want to read about what’s on my mind, or how I view the world and my perspective of life.

But I thought, “what’s the worst that can happen? What if I don’t get any readers? What if people send me hate mail?” It would basically be life as usual: I didn’t have any readers to start with, and I already receive hate mail (I know you’re reading this Mr. Zuckerberg, please stop emailing me. No amount of hate mail will ever be able to convince me that you are in fact, a human being).

So I took the offer, and traveled down a new path. Although I am heading in the same direction, and Life’s still chauffeuring me to my final destination, I now get to experience some fresh scenery along the way. And I must say, the experience has been far better than I could have ever imagined. I had no idea that this was even a trip that I wanted to take, but I’m glad that Life saw this extra path and paused to offer a choice.

What I truly never expected though, was the amount of support I have received on this journey. I never expected to hear any compliments from readers (thank you!). I certainly never expected to change anyone’s opinions, I only intend to offer a different perspective, so I was stunned to hear a few people tell me they were moved or inspired by my words. And I still have yet to receive hate mail from any humans, so that’s good as well.

Taking this new journey has inspired me to spend more time enjoying a passion that I barely knew existed. What was just a faint hobby on the horizon has now grown to light new paths, with new experiences and opportunities. It’s times like these that I really appreciate the moments that Life stops for a minute to ask “where do YOU want to go?”.

Sometimes we get stuck on the highway with no exit in site, and we miss out on some of the finer things just to reach our main destination faster. When we are younger, there are far more routes to reach our ultimate goals. As we get older those routes grow farther in between and the possibilities become limited, so make sure to choose wisely before you pass them by.