Trajectory

“The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.” (Google dictionary)

The word ‘trajectory’ has been coming up a lot for me this past week.  This means the route in life I choose. Am I going in the direction I want to go, to get to where I want to go? Sometimes a slight change can alter the trajectory. This new path may not be where I planned to be, but it is where I need to be at that time.

 

 “Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?” Garth Nix.

 

road street fog path

 

Many years back when I was with my first boyfriend he asked me to marry him. I said yes, carried away by the romance of it all. We planned the wedding. We looked at reception venues. I bought the dress. I still have this dress. I wonder if I will ever get to wear it, but I digress. There were red flags I chose to ignore. Red flags that said loud and clear DON’T DO THIS, but I chose to ignore them.

 

woman in white bridal gown meditating

 

We hadn’t set a date. I kept putting it off. I attributed this to having cold feet. We moved in together. One day my fiancé was in hospital. It was a particularly hot summer’s day. I had just got home from work. He called me to ask if I could drop off some clothes for him. After an hour in a car with no air conditioning I thought there’s no way I’m getting back in there and driving to the hospital.

 

“It’s all well and good to look back after the fact and see what we should have done, but we rarely know what path is best when we take the first step.” Christine Feehan.

 

I knew in that moment that I didn’t love him. I didn’t care enough about him to want to spend the rest of my life with him. It took this incident for me to realize the track I was on wasn’t the right one for me. We broke up. My life took a different trajectory.

Blessings to all xx

 

 When you find your path, you must ignore fear. You need to have the courage to risk mistakes. But once you are on that road,… run, run, run, and don’t stop till you’ve reached its end.” Jose N. Harris.

Milestones in our lives and what they mean

I’ve discovered that every time I’ve reached a milestone I think I’m there, but there’s another there waiting for me.

Sara Benincasa

What are milestones?

Milestones can be thought of as stages in our lives. A marker or a turning point. For children milestones are used to determine levels and stages of development. Milestones happen rapidly at this time and slow down as we get older.

“Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.”

Nelson Mandela

Transitions

As adults we experience milestones differently. We transition from childhood to adolescence, adolescence to adulthood. We go from living with our parents to living out on our own. We go from school to entering our working lives. We are like birds flying from the nest. We are ready to stretch our wings and have experiences that enrich our existence. Some of us marry and/or have children while others of us take a different path.

“The moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars.”

Arthur C. Clarke

Dealing with the unexpected

Milestones and what they mean to each of us varies. We all remember these important markers in our lives in different ways. Sometimes in the midst of celebrating a milestone something may happen to jeopardize it. Events that we have no control over. For example a birthday or wedding can be remembered for all the wrong reasons. We hear bad news someone we know is gravely ill, there’s an accident, someone dies. The planned celebrations are put on hold; put to the back of our mind as we try to grapple with the unexpected.

“Life is not a matter of milestones, but moments.”

Rose Kennedy

Making a decision

As we cope with what’s happened we feel a sense of guilt. Should we go ahead with the celebration or delay it for a better time? When is a better time if we are dealing with a death for example? The best thing to do is to ask ourselves what our loved one would have wanted. It isn’t an easy decision to make, but I believe our loved ones would want us to celebrate. To get on with our lives and not put anything on hold for them.

“I look at victory as milestones on a very long highway.”

Joan Benoit

Life is a gift

No matter where life takes us we will have milestones marking our journey. Being born in itself is a milestone as is dying. Everything in between reminds us that life is for living; so enjoy those wonderful, precious moments and be grateful for this gift we call life.

Hmmm… What is the meaning of life?