No Passengers

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."   ~ Anatole France

A friend once told me that life's natural rhythm cycles through phases of harmony, followed by periods of disharmony, before arriving at harmony again.  This insight is like a beacon to people who find themselves struggling through disharmony; a promise that soon things return to a more gentle rhythm...one that soothes and strenghtens, reassures and resolves. 

Nothing is more difficult than moving forward to uncertainty except, perhaps, standing still with that same feeling of uneasiness.  Standing in the middle of the road waiting for the road to change is not an option...courage lies in the decision to choose a path.  So we do.  We put one foot in front of the other and wait for conviction to build itself around our choice. 

And sometimes...our choices are made for us.  Sometimes we are launched forward into disharmony with no warning or preparation.  Suddenly standing on the road. What we do next is entirely our making.  So we choose. 

The miracle of the human existence is that regardless of the impetus of change, the choices that follow are invariably the same...driven by experience and character inherent in every decision we make no matter how big or small.  Each one of us has a built in navigational system that determines our individual destinations.  To blame our situation on another, or on the fates alone, is to absolve ourselves of our choices. 

We are not, after all, passengers on our journey.