When Life Takes An Unexpected Turn

There are times in this life when you are tested for strength and not the physical kind, but the mental.  A dear friend of mine three years ago was standing against those tests in time and chose to take his own life.  Felt too much pressure from family, career, and the community that he belonged to, from a life he created.  I witnessed the pain that he left behind, it was cowardly and selfish.  That type of pressure can only be described when going through some major life changes, when life takes that unexpected turn.

It is not the direction of the turn that shocks our system or world, but the turn itself.  It is important to look beyond the turn and look at the new direction ahead, picture it as a new journey.  As a direction that will lead you to your goals in life, to accomplishing those intentions that you may have set in the past.

Let's use golf or car racing as an example.  A golfer is looking at the ball at all times, even when they are swinging the club to drive the ball down the green, but what if they didn't calculate the wind speed, if they hit the ball with too much power, or if they were just having a bad day, they still focus their gaze on where they want and hope the ball should land.  They constantly rebuild strength knowing that there are more holes or tournaments ahead.  As for car racers, they are looking beyond the turn to rev it up on the next straight away to chose which of the many gears they need to use in order to make the turn and power through it.

As humans, when life takes a turn, we too must look at the path beyond the turn, so that we are not consumed with the turn itself.  Allowing ourselves to build the strength we need to power through it and continue on this journey called life.  Reminding ourselves that the turns in life are all teachable moments, and you never know when a sharp turn can lead you back to your goals and to a journey of self discovery.

Trust yourself and the course you are taking in this life, and know that there are always turns.  How will you handle the next turn in this life? Are we grateful to those that cheer us on during the turn that may jolt us back into reality?

Namaste.