Welcome to the Circus

Sometimes, in life, we find ourselves following a swift and narrow path towards a hazy goal. Obstacles block the way, roots threaten to trip our weary feet, and yet we keep our eyes focused so closely on the necessity of not straying from that path that we forget. We forget to look up at the goals in front of us and to check our progress towards them. We forget to look to either side for easier or straighter paths, too caught up in the difficulty of following the set plan to completion.

When we find a moment to catch our collective breath, we can't help but wonder: have we missed something important along the way? Are we sure this is the correct path? Mightn't there be an easier or safer way to travel? Do we have all the supplies we need to reach our destination? What exactly IS our destination, and are we sure it's where we want to be?

Along this path of life there are many choices, many branches of the trail. There is no set path, no straight line to that fabled destination. There may not even BE a destination - the path might run in a loop or drift off into the wilderness to peter out until we are so lost and alone that we never find our way back to civilization. Or there may be a broad level path lined in brightly shining lanterns that we've been so preoccupied we didn't even NOTICE when we passed it by. But how can we know? There's no going back, no retracing of our steps. The only thing to be done is to keep on moving forward, and to face each challenge and choice as it comes along. All we can hope is that we occasionally remember to stop and look around, look ahead, or even look up at the stars in the sky... if only for a moment.

...Maybe someday, somehow, we'll find that it is indeed possible to step off that path into the woods, to forge a new path in a new direction without the paralysis of danger that comes from facing our innermost fears.

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Alternate blog post:

You're riding a unicycle. On a tightrope. The spotlight is shining in your eyes as you furiously blink away tears of sweat and you have only one chance to survive this thing - to keep your eyes on the wire, to focus all your energy and commitment and sense of balance on the chance of riding this thing through to its conclusion. OR, you can take that leap of faith and trust there really is a net strung up beneath the wire, waiting to catch you as you fall. Trusting the net not only to really be there but to be strong enough and soft enough to save you from your folly. Sure, the audience will be disappointed; but it's better than breaking your neck, right? And if only you weren't so busy focusing on the decision, maybe you would have noticed the trapeze artists waiting in the wings to catch you, or the jugglers on the platform, holding a rope and a safety harness. Maybe they were just figments of your imagination, or maybe they were meant to save you... it's impossible to know for sure, because you got yourself into this mess and you're so determined to get yourself out that you've blinded yourself to any other possibilities out of necessity. So go ahead - make your choice. The death-defying stunt, or the free-fall into safety?