by Brian Dean
We are all on a path, one specifically for us, and designed by us (although we will not remember doing so). As we go through this life, we discover this path, and the journey that it takes us on, and the things we learn along the way. This path was set so that you would have certain experiences in this life. How you move along it, though, is up to you. Sometimes, we are drawn to certain things... career, people, opportunities. Sometimes we feel we have limited choices and we have to accept one of the options we have. Other times, it seems we are simply forced to move on from where we are. I remember looking for a career, and being into science fiction, I was drawn into computers. The idea of getting a machine to do something was a really cool idea. So, I went to school, and worked for several years as a programmer / analyst. While I was doing that, I was drawn to healing, specifically energy work, then Reiki, and then massage. The knowledge that I could help people was a cool idea. In each case, I listened to what was there, and followed my heart. This is the best way to move along your path, letting yourself be drawn to what you need. But this is not always the way things work. Sometimes, we know we need a change, a decision. We get offered some choices and none of them really appeal to us. We don't feel any of them calling us, so we make the best choice we can, and hope that it is the right one. This moves us along that path of ours, and we have a hand in it, but it is a gentle nudge to make a move. When we don't move, we end up being forced to. As humans, we have points in our lives where we get comfortable, complacent. Unfortunately, the only constant in life is change. And once we are comfortable, we really, really fight off change. I know all too well about this having been forced to make big changes in recent years. When we lived in Maryland, we were comfortable, but the energies started changing. We noticed, but we didn't notice. Our peach tree gave us the sweetest peaches every year. But one year, as soon as they started to ripen, some disease hit them. We also had an apple tree that gave wonderful apples, until a windstorm knocked it down. This was the first warning. These were the subtle hints of things to come, hints that may have been too subtle. Next, the company I worked for went out of business leaving us with one job. Finding another was difficult, especially one that did not take 90 minutes of travel to get to. The final straw was when the company my wife worked for decided to move to Jacksonville, FL. Rather than stay with no jobs and little prospects, we took the offer to move when it was offered. This meant moving from friends and family. But, this was part of the path I needed to be on. I was being forced out of my comfort zone to move along that path. It brought me to a Reiki teacher, and to massage school, and to all the other things I have learned and done in the past several years. When I was laid off of my day job after seven in years in Florida, it led me to opening my studio. This led me to helping all the people that have been in here for treatment. This is the path I was meant to be on. Sometimes, to follow our path, we need to be kicked in the backside several times. Sometimes we need to have devastating things happen to force us to move along in the right direction. Sometimes losing what we know is the only way we can look at the unknown and see where we really should be going, or at least see a glimmer of hope. How do you move along your path? Do you go peaceably, or do you need to feel the kick of a very large boot? |
