Life's Side Paths

Do you ever have days where your calendar is wide open? You come to work happy to have some space and time to do all the things you want and need to do. You look forward to a day of personal productivity. Then, as your day is nearly over, you realize that you accomplished virtually nothing that you hoped to accomplish. It's not like I sat around and did nothing. I just didn't accomplish what I hoped to accomplish. I actually was busy much of the day. What I wasn't was centered and focused. Much of the day I was pulled into little things that I just didn't plan on. The good news is that I will rebound and the still unfinished tasks I have will likely get done by the end of the week. Their unfinished state is not a crisis for anyone including me. My lack of focus seemed to fit in with the sleepy, overcast, rainy day that yesterday was. Much of life is like yesterday. It was, as John Lennon says, life happening to you while you make other plans. Such days present a challenge to us. The challenge is staying centered, and not losing your focus, while also being pulled out of your center into places and activities that you didn't see coming. When you are walking along a trail, and you venture down a side path, one must not lose their way back to the main trail that will take you where you planned to go. At the same time, the side paths of life are often the most interesting or meaningful. You don't want to spend you whole day...or life...being lost. Occasionally, however, it is a good thing to wander. J.R.R Tolkien, the man who wrote "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" said that "Those who wander are not necessarily lost". So, I guess it's best not to be too rigid about your plans. Be open to the side paths of your life and wander a little. If you get lost, hang in there. You'll find your way back.