Monday, December 12th, 2011

Make A Smart Turn

Burnaby, British Columbia

Whatever the route, there’s always going to be an intersection. I purposefully try to avoid street lights and busy corners where I’m forced to stop. I prefer to coast along on foot without hindrance. I don’t like to interrupt the flow. Eventually, and inevitably though, there has to be a stop (or an Arret, as the sign reads in Quebec).

Life is so much like this type of walking. I found out myself from doing three treks across Canada, if it’s not a street light, a dead end or a cul de sac, it will certainly be an ocean to arrest you. We’ve got three of them, the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic.

The good thing about stopping is that it sets off a moment of reality, puts you on to a different mood, a new train of thought. This could be healthy, and I like to parallel this to life. Of course if you don’t stop at the light, you could turn into a pizza.

I had the great opportunity today to look at two separate instances of teenage boys who hit a cross roads in their life’s soujourn. You don’t have to go far back to process your own past, as an adolescent, when you struck a brick wall and you were forced to think things over and make big decisions. You pondered, should I go right, left, forward or in reverse? It’s still clear in my nostalgic head the imagery of Oz’s cowardly lion who read the sign that said, ‘I’d turn back if I were you.’ Most decisively it has to be determined what’s forbidden territory and what is safe.

I once took a bus trip through the foothills of the Himilayas on route to Deradun, when our bus stopped at a river. There was no bridge. The driver decided that the river was dried up enough to cross. Despite puddles of water and potholes everywhere. It was a rough crossing.

Back to the teenagers at their intersection: I tried my best to build a human sensitive bridge so they could cross over or jump over the hurdles. I offered some practical advice and encouraged them to have their spirituality take the lead. It was a good exchange. Move ahead! Watch where you go! Stop! Make a smart turn!

15 Km