Pretty Perfect Path
We are all dreamers on some level. We daydream about dinner, we think about the holidays, we plan our future. We dream about what it would be like if we had a boat, a nicer car, a healthy relationship with certain family members. We have dream vacations and dreams of life after retirement. We have an infatuation with the destination - and we’ve all probably heard that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination. This is so true, so what do we do? We start dreaming about the journey. It’ll be so perfect, so peaceful, so full of joy.
We will start at point A, we will succeed at the first thing we try, and then we will move on to point B. Once we’ve reached point B, this & that problem will be solved and it’ll be so much prettier than when we were at point A. There will be no new problems at point B. So we’ll enthusiastically attack the next part of the journey, ready to get to point C. And, while it may be harder in some ways, it’ll still be the right path and we’ll find ourselves joyfully embraced by point C. And so on and so on.
The truth is, no journey is a pretty perfect path. In fact, the path sometimes circles around and around until we learn what we need to learn to continue to move ourselves forward. Even the ‘simplest’ of paths and plans will inevitably take detours or look different than we imagined. If we let go of how we think it ‘ought’ to go and look instead at the beauty of the unexpected, it can turn out even more mind-blowingly incredible than we ever could’ve imagined. Maybe your path will detour so far off where you think it should be, but yet it leads you right to where you needed to be at that moment. If you trust and go with the flow, you may have some incredible blessings & surprises.
That’s not to diminish the power of the hustle and the planning - I’m a “master planner” according to my husband. But we do have to conceded that no matter how we plan or over-plan, things can always come and throw a kink into it. It’s more the recognition that the ‘kink’ in the plan, might’ve been part of the plan the whole time. You’re just too small to see it. You trust yourself more than you trust God (or the universe/higher power). You, my sweet friend, are absolutely incredible, but you are not everything. Your dreams are even limited, your plans are only in the scope of what you can see, and your methods are limited to your influence. Your pretty perfect path is set up for detours before you even start down it, and you don’t even know it.
Learn to lean in, learn to trust, learn to go with the flow. If you’re a master planner too, take the time to make your plans - they’re valuable. Just make sure they’re in their place when you start your journey - they can be a guideline, but not set in stone. You may even find yourself on a prettier and more perfect path than you ever dreamed.
