I’ve taken many roads… Roads where I was the driver and other times just a passenger along for the ride. There have been forks on every trip and while Robert Frost says I should have taken the road less traveled, I was too reserved, or possibly too afraid, to turn and go in the opposite direction of the crowd.
You see, 20 years ago I met someone who shared the same passion for coaching I did. Both of us ended up at the same university and while our journeys to each other were wildly different, we shared so many commonalities that over time, our lives seamlessly began to converge. Since getting married we’ve moved to 5 different cities that required us to make a plethora of decisions that never one time felt comfortable or easy. That first move occurred less than a year into our marriage and with a 6-week-old along for the ride. Talk about wanting to avoid that all together. There was magic in the day I said my vows and I initially thought our roads would simply merge and off we’d go on our merry way like Little Red Riding Hood to see her granny. Yet, as Red marched through the woods, she reminded herself that her mother told her not to go off the path for dangers were waiting.
At 23, I wasn’t taking any chances…I walked down that aisle never looking left or right but straight ahead.
But what if we stopped looking at things that took us off the path, our CONTROLLED path, as dangers? Rather, what if we started looking at them as scenic Sunday drives that made us roll down the windows, grab a sweet tea from Chick-fil-A, and invite our “wolf” to ride shotgun with us?
I’m noticing more and more these days difficult decisions are being met with avoidance within our culture. Now before deciding you’ve read all you wanted to read, notice if you are presently avoiding the uncomfortable…
Take a breath, or two and give me a few more moments.
When we avoid hard things, we miss out on a call-to-action moment. Inside that temporary place of discomfort is where we have to learn to let go of an old grudge by just sitting and forgiving. Pay off a debt instead of spending the money thus gaining more financial freedoms. Allow someone to share their opinion without walking away allowing them to see that you held space for their individuality and presence. Give something before taking and be given back doubly. Choosing to keep our mouths closed even though we think we have to have the final word and maybe protect someone’s heart from being hurt.
Those places of discomfort are where we find that “void” that has been missing, yet we keep our heads down, stay on the path, and miss all the magic that is around us.
I encourage you today to look for the magic in the moments you are avoiding. And in doing so, curiosity is drawn in and fear is sent out. I encourage you to pause and pick the flowers and see the beauty that can occur when we step off our paths even if it means meeting a few “bad wolves” along the way. I encourage you to remember that Little Red still made it to Granny’s house, got a little confused, and got too close, but made it out on the other side and bigger and better Red.
“Things are missing for a reason…so we have to get up and put forth the effort to find it.” -Sanctuary Yoga
