The River

"Why they do, what you do--it not a matter of legal or not legal; not even a matter of right or wrong.  It about being true to yourself, about deciding your own path.  People are like rivers, and the hours of our days low to the sea.  But no two rivers are the same, and no river is today what it was last month or last year.  It always trying to find new channels, shifting in its gravel bed, hurling itself against boulders and trying to undercut steep banks.  Some people are content to follow the course set before them.  Life easy that way. Others, like you, jump their banks, daring to be different.  Like rivers, people end up at the same place, but how we get there is what makes us who we are."
Lone Wolves by John Smelcer





So true...it's much easier to stay in the river,
following the same banks that have already been carved by others.
But to me that isn't living.
Sure, if I could go back,
I'd change a few paths down my crooked and narrow river.
Who wouldn't?
Well, actually, maybe I'd just keep it the same.
Those twist and turns of my life have made me the person that I am today.
I'm more confident.
More self-reliant.
More willing to try new things without having a secure net underneath me.
Is it scary?
Terrifying!
But I know that the paths that I take, are my own.
The successes, mistakes,
and life's curve balls are all a part of me.
And I like me.
She's makes me smile.
I'm proud of her.

So never mind.
I'm not changing a thing.
I'll keep it all and
keep carving my way in the world.
The great thing is that I have amazing people carving their paths along side mine.
We encourage each other and weave together when times are tough.
It's a nice feeling.

Where is your river taking you?
I hope that it's taking you to a place
where you can look back on the places
and people in your world and smile.
I'm not there yet,
but I'm getting closer every day.