The paths that we take

I have taken many paths in my life, as you have. But do you ever wonder where you would be if you would have gone left instead of right at that fork in the road?

For instance, if I had not decided after three years of working at the Northwest Iowa Review that I wanted to move on and landed a job at the Ames Tribune, only to be on staff for three months before a buy-out occurred and was sent out the door because cuts had to be made and then sent out a zillion applications to other print medias and waited patiently month after month to be hired on at the Pilot Tribune, I may not have met my husband or had the four great kids I've got.

* If I had not been urged to take the path I did in high school, I may have ended up a totally different person than I am today. With a mother who had many health problems, requiring to be hospitalized, and a dad whose work required him to be out of town during the week, I was left alone quite often; it was not as unacceptable back then as it would be today. My friend's parents took me under their wings to nurture me and love me as needed. I have been thankful for them all of my life; with six kids of their own, they found room to squeeze me in. Without that guidance, I may have ended up as a worthless, non caring, manner less, whino living in the streets. (Probably not! Note that I truly loved my parents and our situation was something that could not be helped back then.)

* If I had chosen to take the path to the vo-tech college I was accepted into to pursue the computer key punch career, instead of being urged to take the path to Mankato State University by my best friend to pursue a journalism career because she knew I had a love for writing, I may have been making booko bucks and most likely would be a whiz on the computer. But instead, I get less of a paycheck, have little free time to learn anymore than I absolutely need to know on the computer. I also have a job that I totally love. (What the heck is key punch anyway?)

* If I had taken a different path through Spirit Lake, on two occasions anyway, I wouldn't have had two totaled out cars (I loved those two cars). I was involved in two accidents two years apart in my younger years, on the same stretch of Highway 9, blameless in both of them, and unhurt. (I loved those two cars). I really should have taken the other path.

* If I had made the right turn that ONE time that I was asked to drive the tractor pulling the hayrack, stacked with fresh hay, I wouldn't have knocked my husband onto the ground along with most of the hay, I may have been asked to help again with the job. (Opps - don't tell my husband maybe I made that wrong turn on purpose!)

* If I had taken the wrong path while driving with my husband and kids and not taken the initiative to go ask directions, I'd get so upset that I'd cry. So instead, I took the right path. (Unlike if my husband was driving, took the wrong path, "Ask directions? But why?" continues to drive for hours until by chance he finds the right path on his own, claiming he knew it was there all along.)

I believe everything happens for a reason and something greater than us is swaying us to take the route that would be the most scenic and the most beneficial to us - even if at the time we don't see the light.

I will have to chose many more paths before my time here is up, and so will you. Here's hoping the paths bring you to where you want to be; forget the shortcuts and beware of paths where there are forks in the road; they cause confusion.