The idea was to get some fresh air and do some scheming and
dreaming about a creative endeavor we’re hoping to team up on. (It’s just a
seed now, but it feels as if this little blog could grow into something bigger.
More on this later.) The expert map readers that we are, we missed the
trailhead we were looking for- about five times. We were determined to find just
the right path though, even if we had to start over. This reminded me that
sometimes it’s hard to find your starting point. Maybe you take a trail and it’s
not what you thought it would be. Know that it’s never too late to start over
in life. It is never too late to seek out your trailhead and follow your
bliss. Sometimes it takes years of wandering lost and unsure before you find
your way to that meaningful path, the one that feels just right, like it was
meant for you. But it is well worth it.
We were on our chosen path for a very short time when fear
set in. A baby rattlesnake was
casually catching some sun on the very narrow trail. (Hello Southern California
wildlife!) We were a mere four feet from stepping on his little snakey head!!
This was my first encounter with a snake in the wild and it instantly brought
back memories of my irrational fear of snakes as a child. (I say irrational
because I couldn’t even look at pictures of them in books without freaking
out.) I think I managed to play it cool, but I could feel all of my fight or
flight instincts kicking in –OK, mostly flight. The snake held his ground, but
because my friend was with me (and she makes me feel brave) so did we. It
seemed just plain silly to go back the way we came when we were so close to the
end of the loop.
I admit, fear has made me retreat in the past. Fear is such
a fascinating construct. It can stop us dead in our tracks and make us question
our goals. It can send us into a counterproductive tailspin or a full speed run
to safety and comfort, away from our ambitions. I realize now that like my
paralyzing fear of snakes, my fear of the unknown on this creative journey is
inevitable. There will be risks and there will be obstacles. Now I understand
the idea behind the old Zen proverb, “The obstacle is the path.” We simply must
learn to overcome if we want to move forward in our chosen direction. This is
what makes us strong for the rest of our journey.
Lucky for all involved, a clever young man came along and
sprayed some water in the snake’s direction. (Why didn’t we think of that?) Mr.
Rattlesnake made his way back into the brush and we made a daring leap to the
other side of the trail. The whole thing lasted minutes, but it felt like I
just faced a lifetime of fear-based decision making, and I realized that’s not
how I want to make my decisions anymore. When we make decisions out of fear, we
deny ourselves the freedom to know our full potential. From now on, I choose to
stand my ground when fear sets in and find a way around the problem.
I choose to proceed along the path, regardless of the
obstacles. I will not allow fear to keep me from moving forward on my chosen
path. As an artist, entrepreneur and growing soul, I CHOOSE FAITH.
*(Note: No snakes were harmed in the making of this
courage.)
