Footprints

I've been interested in the religious poem called Footprints for years. I won't bore you with posting the text here. It's easy to find. Basically, someone is crying in their soup about how god wasn't there to help them. Looking back on the sand of their life, they only see one set of footprints during the tough times. God responds by saying I carried you then. (I'm paraphrasing.)

The reason this interests me is that people that are very religious (especially the reborn) tend to feel that their god guides their life and that they don't need to put in the effort to accomplish things. The faith they have allows them to sit on their hands rather than taking control of their lives. (In India, often cows are seen in the streets starving to death. Ribs showing, because they are sacred and the belief that they will be taken care of, so no-one does.) Now, I'm not implying that all religious people give up control of their lives, but there are some very notable cases I've seen personally where people throw their lot to faith and gamble. Oh, I love that analogy. *does little dance* That's exactly what it is. Gambling. They gamble that something will happen.

I've studied a lot of the religions in the world (I'm still behind the curve on a couple, so I'm not an expert.) And this post really isn't about religion or faith. It's about taking control of your world for your own sake. Sometimes is feels like the world is collapsing on us and that we don't have any out. We do. It's about sitting down and figuring out how you want to proceed. Not being afraid to take the chance and succeed. I don't have many regrets in my life. But there are a few times I wish I'd sat down and really thought of what I wanted and how to accomplish what I wanted. I gambled those times I didn't. I didn't leave it to faith in a supreme being to take of it, but I gambled anyway by my own inaction.



Life is comprised of many paths. The ability to navigate successfully isn't about always taking the right path. It's modifying the path you chose. Because you aren't stuck on any one path. You can take another one. Or *GASP* create a new path. What? I can feel the befuddlement. Yes. Simply stop. Consider your needs, wants, desires and figure out which direction you need to travel to reach them. There is room to widen a path. Shorten it. Or even fill in the borders if you feel things are getting too loose and you are wandering. There are rest stops along the way to sooth your journey.

The rest stops are the moments in your life that you will always remember. The good times. Friends. Family. Pets. Random strangers sometimes that visit you on the journey. Sometimes these people are walking the path with you, but remember, they are on their own path. They might be a traveling peddler, or a wandering minstrel. Improving your day with useful articles or perhaps just a tune to help you on your way. But the path is yours. You have to decide where it goes. And to what it leads. Safe journeys...

(Update: not 15 minutes after I posted this two bible bangers showed up at my door... Coincidence or...