"Learn to trust your journey, even if you don't understand it" - Ralph Smart.
Dear Beloved Human Being,
How often have you gone through an experience and were hard on yourself for it? Maybe you wished that things would have turned out differently. Perhaps you have expectations of yourself to be, think and feel something else than you are being, thinking and feeling right now. Maybe you find it difficult to allow yourself to just be where you are right now because you have attached a particular meaning to it that might not be helpful. How often do we experience suffering because we constantly expect ourselves to be something or somewhere else than what and where we are right now?
Life is a journey… for all of us. And like on all journeys, there are good times and bad times. Sometimes we stop and look at the incredible beauty around us and allow gratitude to consume us. There are times when we laugh and joke with loved ones. But there are also times when we are preoccupied with how tired we are. Perhaps we have to pass on unsteady ground, vulnerable to dangers around us, causing us to experience fear and a need to do whatever we can to ensure our safety and survival. The point is, dear beloved human being, we cannot prescribe what the journey should or shouldn’t be. We cannot control how we will feel, when we will grow tired or when we will laugh at someone’s joke. Just like we cannot prescribe our life’s journey.
Of course, there is a general destination we are walking towards, whatever that may be. But arguing about where we are in the process of reaching that destination will do nothing except for making the journey harder and possibly unbearable. Similarly, in our life’s journey, we might not understand every step of the way. Sometimes we take the wrong turn. Sometimes we struggle. Sometimes we look back and see how far we have come. Sometimes we are consumed by the awesomeness of life. Sometimes we are sad about what we have lost along the way. All we can do is walk the path and live life as fully as possible while doing it, whether the path is breathtakingly beautiful and fun or looming and challenging. Whatever we experience, we can know that it is not permanent, except if we stand still in one space. And sometimes that is needed. But the option is always there to take just one small step forward.
Wherever you are in your journey, dear beloved human being, know that it is entirely okay. It is okay if you don’t understand it. It is okay if you are frustrated. It is okay if you are sad. It is okay if you are full of joy. It is okay if you are overwhelmed with excitement. Wherever you are, be there fully. Our experiences WILL change and constantly fluctuate as we walk the path of life. Wherever you are, you are okay. And you are not alone. You are amazing, and got this, whatever the way in front of you might look like!
Like Asha Tyson once said:
“Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time”.
Written by:
Maroné Oosthuizen
Counselling Psychologist
Rosebank Branch