Never Doubt Your Path

There are moments in our life when we see the path in front of us, and the very sight of it compels us to hide...or turn around and run. It is simply impossible to avoid challenges in our lives. During our most joyful times, it can be easy to forget life can also be dismal, painful, tedious, and frightening. It can be shocking when we turn a corner to see a troubling path- stress, obstacles, illness, turmoil, or death; but struggles are meant for us just as much as celebrations. These events are a vital part of your human experience; and the more you view all of life as a lesson to be learned, the less painful life will become.

You must never doubt your path, you chose it for a reason.

Now, that's easy to say..."never doubt your path"; but when you are knee-deep in a shit situation, it isn't easy to accept you would have chosen to be there. If you're 32 years old, drinking wine from the bottle, and wearing your prom dress post divorce, you're not thinking about how you chose this life for yourself. You're probably thinking, "I'm going to die a fucking old maid with 47 cats because I'm unlovable." At least, that's what I was thinking when I was 32 years old, drinking wine from the bottle, and wearing my prom dress post divorce. However, thanks to gobs of ongoing spiritual work, I knew I was on the right path; and I understood exactly what I was supposed to be learning. Here's the thing- it still sucked. I wish I could tell you there's a way to make everything not suck; but there isn't.

It may seem impossible that certain tragedies were "made for us", or that we were fated to experience something dreadful. Most undesired events are simple karma (consequences of our own actions), or a natural part of life (death or illness); but sometimes we experience tragedies beyond our own karma or limitations as a biological being. It is up to the individual to honestly determine the difference. In either case, there is something for us to learn and grow from...if we so choose.

So often we run from lessons we need to learn, and run to lessons we've tackled before, solely because they are familiar. Viewing your path neutrally will make it easier for you to determine which challenges are worthy of undertaking, and which ones are best to walk away from. What could I learn from this? Have I learned this before? Does it make me uncomfortable because it's a situation I should avoid, or because I'm unsure on how to proceed? It may feel more comfortable for someone to avoid seeking help, because they have grown comfortable in their pain. Someone with a victim mentality may view every challenge as impossible, because they are convinced the world has conspired to sabotage them. Family members may avoid seeing a dying relative because they don't know how to cope with mortality, but then greatly regret it later.

What's important to remember when walking your path, is that everything is there for a reason. Yes, sometimes the reason is because you did something stupid. Maybe you avoided a zillion little problems, and they all merged together to form a super problem. Of course, some people experience horrific tragedies that are of no true karmic reaction. The victims of the Las Vegas shooting did nothing outside of purchase a concert ticket to land them in the face of an armed killer. We will all experience crises which do not fit into any mold of reason; and in these moments we are catapulted into learning love, compassion, grief, peace, letting go, and moving forward. The variables are vast; but the common denominator is that there is an important lesson for you to learn, or an important experience for you to have.

Perhaps it is beyond us to ask why, or know why. I am a human who practices Spiritualism; and I believe we choose all our experiences, good or bad, because these experiences help grow us towards enlightenment. There can be great peace in this belief; but I understand not everyone believes what I do, nor do I think everyone should. I like to think of challenges like exercising: we damage our muscles, and the muscles repair themselves, becoming stronger. Sometimes it's painful, and sometimes it sucks. However, when we actively choose to view our paths neutrally; and accept every challenge or tragedy as a learning experience, life becomes less painful. Never doubt your path, you chose it because you knew it would make you stronger. Keep Going.