The good new is, if you want an easy path for a walk, you can find one. If you want an easy path to lunch or dinner you can find one. But it is not likely, nor desirable, to find and walk an easy path in life.
I had a friend once who was 45 years old when the first bad thing ever happened to her. She found out her husband was a crack addict and she had to start divorce proceedings for the health and safety of her family.
I remember how shocked she was that it had happened. She really had no idea that most people are extremely lucky if they get to age 45 without a big negative in their life. The easy path she had been on really hadn’t prepared her well for this event in life. But this event did cause the upheaval that made her get a job, one that has been a life changer for her. It also led to a new marriage, one that opened up her life to amazing new possibilities.
None of this means I think she should have had a harder life. On the contrary, I am happy she had a wonderful, positive life with no negatives for as long as she did. It is simply the exception that proves the rule in my mind. That rule is that eventually the path you struggle on will be the one that leads you the farthest.
What hard path taught you the most in life?
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark