Blending Journeys - by Shirley Sokol

What would we do without the people we love, learn from and laugh with? For most people, life is not a lone journey. Statistics show that we live longer when we have social interactions. You may be one of a kind, but you are here to share a part of your journey with others. It starts with you, most people need to learn how to share their journey. If they choose not to, they walk alone, and that is not the ideal path.

Let’s face it, it’s hard enough to build our own path, with the strength of our faith, destiny and personal choices. At what point do we pivot for others? Not everyone’s path is ours to join nor are they welcome to join ours. Yet, we are an important component to paths we did not know existed. We are all written in someone else’s chapter?

What does it mean to share your path: Let’s start with where we were born. What does your family look like? Each of those people who nourish, protect and get you started in life is responsible for helping you build your initial foundation. We all know that those foundations are built in ways that are as individual as our own DNA. They navigate you to the next level. They will share your path from the beginning and perhaps stay with you for the remainder of your journey. Learning will be given by you and shared with you. That’s where life’s ups and downs begin. What comes out of the first chapter of your life will mold and steer you in the direction others choose for you.

When you reach the second chapter of your life, you make the choices. The option to keep some or all of those people on your journey will be an important one to make. You will then determine as you go, how much room you have to share on your path. You will discover who will teach you and who will learn from you? Your journey becomes a universal decision and takes multi-disciplinary actions in order to build a profound and illuminating path. There are times when clouds will get in your way and then finally part. There will be times when you will navigate in a time of crisis. There will be arrows pointing in different directions that you must choose. There will also be times when you need to pivot your path with the people who share it. Falling off the path may just be a step aside needed for a clear or prophetic view. Clarity may be needed along the way, as the noise of loved ones or information is drowning your senses and perspective.

Who do you want to share your journey with? Are you stepping onto someone else’s path for a period of time or are you inviting someone special to walk along your path? Sometimes paths merge for the benefit of both people. A marriage or partnership is an example of this choice. You each have your own journey, yet you walk together to build a side path that you were meant to share. There may come a point that your journey ends with this person and a new one begins. Along the way, decisions made on who we share our lives with will create a direction of learning and inspiration that builds who we are and what we can share with others.

I have learned over the years that I cannot share my path with certain people. If they disrupt my sense of direction and fill my space with chaos, destruction, mean spirited actions, blame, or lack the will to do for themselves and others, that’s a path I need to step off. You can sense when everything feels wrong. You may feel that you are in the wrong place with the wrong people. If so, determine if you are there to learn something important, or should you flee the scene. It may be that you have outgrown a place or the people, or your role there is done and it’s time to move on. That can be a sign of growth and become a time of opportunity for your next chapter.

A few things to ponder as your path fuses with another for a short time or forever:

1) What do you want or need on your journey?

2) Are you open to others sharing your path?

3) Have you considered that some people on your path are inherited, and the others are meant to join you for a reason?

4) Do you assess the path of least resistance, or do you like a challenge?

5) Are you someone who likes to have life’s choices randomly decided like bingo numbers? Or do you plan ahead to build a lane within your path to reach a goal?

There is no right or wrong answer, which is the beautiful thing about life and people, we are all different and learn from each other. The most important thing is to choose who you share your path with carefully, be there for those you love and enjoy your journey.