The path less taken

All of us are on a journey. It starts when we are born and ends when we are called to whatever awaits us in the next life. We are pretty much powerless to control the before and after but we can surely control most of what happens between.

Having been on the planet for a long time I've come to have some insight into the paths I've taken and the ones I wished I had explored. We only get one shot at it and unfortunately it's not like planning our class schedule or a shopping list. I think most people really are doing the best they can all the time, it's just that sometimes our best is not very good and we make choices we later would love to take back. But also fortunately it's usually not a one mistake life, each day we have a new chance and a new opportunity.

One piece of advice I can give willingly is not to let money overly influence your decisions. Some of the happiest people I know are poor as church mice and some of the saddest are well off. Often making that money consumes your whole life and being and the years spent chasing the dollar are gone forever. I was at the Gym one rainy morning and doing my training on the treadmill. Next to me was one of the wealthiest Doctors in town. He was very out of shape and very overweight. He and I started talking, basically as an old man at 50 he was trying to regain some of the years he had lost making his fortune.

Letting outside influences dictate what you do is never the best, when you do you go by their dreams and values and not your own. If you want to travel and see some of the world then do it. Even if you have to give up the toys to have the memories instead. Sometimes you will find that doing what you really want will give you way more benefits than you imagined. For one thing good stuff seems to come your way because you took control of your life. That happened to me when I decided to become involved with DisneyWorld. On the surface it appears to be an over priced and an over crowded tourist trap. But when you get into it you realize it is so much more and actually life changing.

My life is not one of riches or glory, but I think I'm on the right path. I'm amazingly healthy, can truly call hundreds of people friends and I feel that a few of them are able to look at themselves a little differently because we met. I know I'm changed forever because I knew them. My memories are my wealth and my strength comes from being able to hold my head high, secure in the knowledge that I have earned each day.

Choose the paths you travel well and believe in what your heart tells you.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda