You are not in this alone
Determined she keeps going. Her eyes fixed on the road in front of her. The road looks empty and abandoned. There’s no one in front of her or anyone around her. It seems nobody has ever ventured down this trail before. There are no maps of this area, nor are there any signs along the road to point her in the right direction. Still, intuitively she knows where it is she wants to go. In her mind she has seen the images, of this point that she’d like to reach. In her dreams she has felt it, the fulfillment and pride of getting there. It’s this feeling that encouraged her to leave the familiar behind and set out on this adventure.
It’s not so easy, this uncharted road she has chosen. Trying to bypass all the potholes and bumps that are out there. And because she is all alone, and there’s no one ahead of her, no reference point at all, it easily happens that she doesn’t see these potholes in time and runs straight into them. At times an eerie feeling creeps up on her, that there might be more to this one goal she’s after. Is it really one straight road? Shouldn’t there have been some exits by now? Is it normal that it takes this long?
Not everyone around her knows that she’s on this journey. For months she pondered if she was going to tell them about her dreams, her goal. Of course, she knows there are friends willing to back her up and encourage her to at least try this new thing she’s after. Still, she also remembers other occasions. Times when opinions were uttered inadvertently and unsolicited ‘good advice’ was shared without any hesitation. Occasions that many times discouraged her to speak openly about the things she felt within.
But this time, this longing inside her is so strong that nothing will stop her from following it. So she’s off . And she has decided to share her thoughts and her dreams only with a few good friends. They know exactly where it is she intends to arrive. Others are only aware that she’s somewhere, en route.
A bold and courageous move. One with a flipside to it. At times it feels lonely being out there, almost invisible on this desolate road. It’s on one of these lonesome moments she stops and sits down. For a minute she looks around and takes in the surroundings she’s traveling in.
Not too far from this point she’s resting, she notices an individual sitting on the side of the road. A woman dressed casual but elegantly. It doesn’t appear she’s a traveler. It seems she is waiting, for something. The woman looks at her and smiles, and beckons her to come closer. She hesitates… Who is this stranger? What does she want from her? Can she trust her? She stares at her wondering if she should walk up to her or not. But there’s something in her eyes, so kind and inviting that melts her reluctance away and she decides to accept her invitation.
They talk. About dreams and about being on the road. It’s an open conversation and more importantly, it’s a two-way one. One without judgements and without opinions and advice. So different from what she has experienced before. Instead there are questions. The woman likes to know who she is and why she has chosen to travel this particular road. Why in this way and what is it she hopes to achieve?
The more questions the woman asks her, the more she feels seen by her. The more she feels seen, the more she feels safe to share. They talk for hours and she notices how good it feels to express the things that live inside her. And it is now that she becomes aware how much there is that wants to be told and how vast her story is.
Hours later she gets up to continue her journey and it’s then that she notices something’s changed. It seems there’s so much more that she sees. Details she has missed before, now are distinctly clear. She see side roads, running along this main road she’s traveling, in the same direction of where she’s going. Meeting the strange woman has opened her to new ways of seeing.
For a moment she closes her eyes and a smile spreads over her face. A warm feeling takes over her body. It surprises her, yet it feels strangely familiar.
When she opens her eyes again, she sees a new challenge appearing just in front of her. She accelerates and with this new born fire within her she continues her adventure, her smile now changed into a loud laugh.
She Is Never Alone On This Road.
