I have always loved walking through the woods, the sun on my face, a light breeze ruffling my hair. I could stand there and enjoy that feeling for an eternity. The world could be falling down around me, and I wouldn't care.
As I walk through this paradise, I analyze my life. I think about those dear to me, those I can't stand, school, and other things teenagers are supposed to think about.
Life is much like the path I am walking on. It is full of bumps, twists, turns, and obstacles. You must overcome all of these to come to the end of the path. You can tread the path with a light step and a light heart, or you can tread the path wearily with heart heavy, wondering if you'll ever reach the end of the path. This is life: happy, sad, easy, difficult, and a million other things.
Every single person reaches obstacles in life; it is inevitable. Just like you will always find at least one obstacle on the path, whether it is a fallen tree, a puddle, or a fork. It is times such as these where we must use our intelligence and instinct to determine a way around the obstacle: climbing over the tree, around the puddle, choosing a fork. Our lives are shaped by these decisions. Choose the wrong fork, and you end up in the wrong place. You're lost, wandering around aimlessly.
In my life, I have chosen the wrong direction at a fork, and I find myself wandering around, without a clue as to where I should go. This is where the path and life are separated: you can retrace your steps to the fork and go in the other direction. In life, the fork is completely destroyed and you are unable to go back.
Our lives are the paths in every other way. The scenery around the path changes as you tread forward, the weather changes, and your mood changes. In life, the scenery symbolizes the people you meet, the places you go. The weather symbolizes the consequences of your actions: you can always make an educated guess as to what the weather may be, but that guess can be incorrect, as the weather is always unpredictable and can often have dire results.
Streams and ponds found in the forest, next to the path, symbolize the friendships we have. Streams provide us with the drink of life, and keep us alive; friends provide us with comfort, understanding, and kindness. Without friends, your drink of life is tainted, just as streams can be tainted with pollution. Choose the correct streams, the correct friends, and your drink will always be cool and refreshing.
Flowers more accurately symbolize people, as they are part of the scenery. Some flowers smell sweet and appealing to the eye, some flowers will poke and harm you with their thorns if you get too close. People can be full of kindness, or they can harm you. Some people may look kind, but looks can be deceiving: take a Rose, for example. It's pretty to look at, but its thorns can prick you. Carelessness around flowers can be deadly.
Obstacles in the path can cause problems. If the tree is wet and rather large, you'll have trouble climbing over it safely. When in life you are posed with a problem, you may be able to get around or over it safely, but there are times when you can be scathed from it. Always go over all possible options and have a plan before navigating an obstacle. Before attempting to go over the tree, drink from the stream; refresh yourself. Use your friends when posed with a problem you can't solve alone.
The forest is the world. Each path, someone's life. When your path reaches the end of the forest, you die. Some paths are shorter than others, and some paths are walked on very quickly.
Where do I fit into all of this, I wonder? I choose which flowers to pick carefully, I choose which streams to drink from carefully, but all the thought in the world won't always keep you from drinking from the wrong stream or picking the wrong flower.
Thoughts?
As I walk through this paradise, I analyze my life. I think about those dear to me, those I can't stand, school, and other things teenagers are supposed to think about.
Life is much like the path I am walking on. It is full of bumps, twists, turns, and obstacles. You must overcome all of these to come to the end of the path. You can tread the path with a light step and a light heart, or you can tread the path wearily with heart heavy, wondering if you'll ever reach the end of the path. This is life: happy, sad, easy, difficult, and a million other things.
Every single person reaches obstacles in life; it is inevitable. Just like you will always find at least one obstacle on the path, whether it is a fallen tree, a puddle, or a fork. It is times such as these where we must use our intelligence and instinct to determine a way around the obstacle: climbing over the tree, around the puddle, choosing a fork. Our lives are shaped by these decisions. Choose the wrong fork, and you end up in the wrong place. You're lost, wandering around aimlessly.
In my life, I have chosen the wrong direction at a fork, and I find myself wandering around, without a clue as to where I should go. This is where the path and life are separated: you can retrace your steps to the fork and go in the other direction. In life, the fork is completely destroyed and you are unable to go back.
Our lives are the paths in every other way. The scenery around the path changes as you tread forward, the weather changes, and your mood changes. In life, the scenery symbolizes the people you meet, the places you go. The weather symbolizes the consequences of your actions: you can always make an educated guess as to what the weather may be, but that guess can be incorrect, as the weather is always unpredictable and can often have dire results.
Streams and ponds found in the forest, next to the path, symbolize the friendships we have. Streams provide us with the drink of life, and keep us alive; friends provide us with comfort, understanding, and kindness. Without friends, your drink of life is tainted, just as streams can be tainted with pollution. Choose the correct streams, the correct friends, and your drink will always be cool and refreshing.
Flowers more accurately symbolize people, as they are part of the scenery. Some flowers smell sweet and appealing to the eye, some flowers will poke and harm you with their thorns if you get too close. People can be full of kindness, or they can harm you. Some people may look kind, but looks can be deceiving: take a Rose, for example. It's pretty to look at, but its thorns can prick you. Carelessness around flowers can be deadly.
Obstacles in the path can cause problems. If the tree is wet and rather large, you'll have trouble climbing over it safely. When in life you are posed with a problem, you may be able to get around or over it safely, but there are times when you can be scathed from it. Always go over all possible options and have a plan before navigating an obstacle. Before attempting to go over the tree, drink from the stream; refresh yourself. Use your friends when posed with a problem you can't solve alone.
The forest is the world. Each path, someone's life. When your path reaches the end of the forest, you die. Some paths are shorter than others, and some paths are walked on very quickly.
Where do I fit into all of this, I wonder? I choose which flowers to pick carefully, I choose which streams to drink from carefully, but all the thought in the world won't always keep you from drinking from the wrong stream or picking the wrong flower.
Thoughts?
