Destiny
“Destiny
isn't some distant place, or a peak of fame and fortune. Destiny
isn't one moment in our lives, one time when we shine for all the
world to see...Destiny is now.”
Melody
Beattie (Journey to the Heart, p. 238)
When you were a child,
did you wonder what you would grow up to be? Are you now what you
imagined then? Probably not. I thought my Destiny was to be a
doctor—until I flunked Algebra in the 9th grade and had
to take it in summer school. Then my notion of Destiny fell into a
ditch for a while. I had no idea where I would end up or how I would
get there. But Destiny is not a straight-shot sort of thing. At
least, it hasn't been for me. We become one thing, and then we become
another. We morph and we meta-morph, we take ten steps in one
direction and then abruptly about-face. Destiny thrashes out
meandering path. Nothing is permanent. Go here, go there, do this, do
that—wander off the path and get lost in the weeds.
When we are young, we
make plans, we establish goals, we work diligently toward our concept
of what our destiny should be. Sometimes we even get there. Sometimes
we out-do ourselves, and can't believe our good fortune. Sometimes,
we take an unexpected turn and end up in a “foreign country”
thinking, “Wait, how did I get here? This is not how I planned it!”
That, too, is Destiny. That girl has a mind of her own. She'll take
you where you don't want to go. She'll lead you astray for your own
good. She'll trip you up when you try to run away. She'll put
impediments in your path, and send all manner of furies and
wee-spirits to drive you in the direction she wants you to go. It
will become clear at some point that you are not in control of
Destiny, so just relax and enjoy the ride.
By the time we reach old
age, we recognize Destiny for who she is. Our friend. Our companion.
Our guide. She teaches us to be where we are, to live in the moment,
and to trust that we are on the path planned for us. We aren't where
we ever imagined we would be, but we can't wait to see what comes
next.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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