One day when I was 16, I went horseback riding with my sister, Nicole, and my friend Adrienne. The place where we rented the horses let us go off without a trail guide because Adrienne mentioned she was an expert horsewoman. I think it was the third time I’d ever been on a horse though and I wasn’t feeling too comfortable.
As we’re traveling along the trails, eventually Adrienne and Nicole got way ahead of me and I couldn’t even see where they went. But my horse seemed to know where to go so I just let him do his thing.
Suddenly, I heard a scream and a thunk. A few moments later, another scream and a thud. I couldn’t see what happened but I yelled out, “Are you guys okay?” as loud as I could ahead of me.
Adrienne yelled back, “You’re about to get to a fork in the road. Whatever you do, don’t go left!”
Nicole yelled back, “Whatever you do, don’t go right!”
Crap.
As I went around the bend I immediately saw the problem. There was the fork alright. To the left was a very low hanging tree branch. My horse could easily fit under the branch but there’s no way I could.
But to the right was a really sharp, steep, sudden drop off. NO WAY I wanted to go down that!!
I looked ahead and saw both Adrienne and Nicole on the ground. Adrienne was rubbing her forehead where she hit the tree branch, and Nicole was rubbing her back and butt where she landed when she got thrown.
Decisions, decisions…. what to do?
Then I realized I don’t have to take either path. I can do something different. I stopped my horse and got off. Then I led the horse under the tree branch and rejoined Adrienne and Nicole to help them with their injuries.
It was a great example of something I see with my reading clients all the time. They sometimes think they must choose the path in front of them, the path that is presenting itself.
But the truth is, there are many ways of navigating life’s terrain. Sometimes you can’t see all the paths clearly. Sometimes you are so locked into what’s right ahead of you that you forget to look at ALL your options.
You can walk away.
You can decline.
You can take the road no one else can see.
You can forge your own path.
As you are coming to forks in your road, examine every possible option. Think outside the box. Talk to your guides about other options.
Look for the unseen options.
Create your own path.
In life there will be many sudden drop offs and low hanging branches. You might not be able to avoid them all, but if you take a moment and examine your situation, you may find a solution that doesn’t involve pain or misery.
