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PATHS THAT CROSS

After crossing paths with a parent of two of my former students 

it instantly occurred to me…

how our paths that once crossed everyday…now cross infrequently

I immediately remembered her smile and how her family always found a way

to make my life a little brighter…when our paths crossed every day

And it made me wonder:

Is it possible the people we meet in life are part of our destiny

that our paths don’t cross by accident…but our meetings are meant to be?

Is it possible from each person…certain wisdoms will emerge…

that promise to reshape us…when our destinies converge?

Is it possible we are like two rays of light with intersecting beams

two independent rivers crossing in midstream?

That at the point we cross…the moment our two paths are combined

We capture part of who they are…and leave some of who we are behind?

So when our paths divide…what we had together is not lost…

and we have been forever changed…once our paths have crossed?

Seeing her immediately set a host of memories in me free

Allowing me to look back in time at the person I used to be.

Reminding me of all I gained in the short time our two paths merged…

for this in one of the blessings when destinies converge.

I am thankful our paths crossed…

thankful it was our destiny

I only hope I influenced her family 

as much as they did me.

Have you ever wondered about destiny

and which of these is true?

Do we have free will, 

are we controlled by fate

or is life an intermingling of the two?

Do we have as much choice as we like to think 

as we travel through our day

or will what is destined to occur…somehow find a way? 

Do we meet people by accident or is there a reason for our paths to cross?

Are we destined to feel the joy of love and suffer the sorrow of its loss?

Does fate affect us all differently?

Are we living our life as we choose to lead it?

For instance…

Was it my destiny to write this poem today…

and was it your destiny to read it?

Your feet walk, foot over foot, down the path.

Towards, predeterminded fear.

You want to turn back.

But can't,

As much as you want to.

You know what is over the bend

And you dread it with evrey nerve in your body.

The thing most purly terrifying,

that you wish you could face.

So simple in stature,

You know what it really is.

But, you are afraid anyway.

It is the shadow of something in your room,

Something in the day so friendly, in the night so fearful.

When ever you see it,

It like a spell, forces you into fear.

making you retreat under your cover covered in cold sweat.

Your house of nightmares.

The House of Usher.

It is something like every other,

but something, something about this generic face causes your gravest thoughts to jump out at you,

Biting your sanity to pieces.

Nearing the top of the hill snaps you back from your deep thoughts as you realise your mind was wandering,

Then you set your eyes on this terrifying sight.

Your feet are cement blocks in quicksand quickly pulling into your fear.

Then you struggle to move your feet,

Inch by inch, you slowly make progress.

Thoughts are rushing through your mind like cold water,

Flooding your head like a chipping water glass ready to burst.

Cold sweat the condensation to the glass that is your body,

The approaching doom thuds against the ground with heavy leaden feet.

The glass, the ground and your mind about to break seemingly hold their breath, waiting...

As you step onto the doorstep of this wretched prison.

You take a few more steps straining your mind further.

You turn around and look through the door,

Fear disapearing forever.

You have conquered the House of Usher...

Time and fate are unpredictable as united in life they flow

Take the man and the woman in this story…lets go back an hour ago.

They had a pleasant morning…she had coffee…he…cocoa

as they talked and laughed together…only an hour ago.

When the policeman told him she was gone…he screamed…he hollered NO!

You must be mistaken, he cried…she was here an hour ago.

You must be confused…I’m sure…in fact…I know

you must have the wrong person…we were together an hour ago.

The policeman explained there was an accident…it happened in the snow

she died immediately, the doctor said…about an hour ago.

The policeman stood in silence…as the man swayed to and fro

Thinking how his life was different…only an hour ago.

The policeman’s seen it many times…he never gets use to it though…

How people wish their lives would return to where they were an hour ago…

He sees it on their faces…they instantly lose their glow

when they realize their life will never be the same as it was an hour ago…

It reminds us all to cherish every moment…because we truly never know

when our life will change forever…like theirs did…one hour ago.

There is a precept in the Tao (at least that’s what Taoists say)

A chain of thought, in point of fact, that is appropriate today.

Taoists find their wisdom in nature…in the wind…the trees…the birds

They say pay attention to our thoughts for our thoughts become our words.

If we want to live a life filled with peace and satisfaction.

Pay attention to our words as our words become our actions.

If we want to find the best way to live on this planet we inhabit…

Pay attention to our actions for they develop into habits.

And if we ever wonder where it is our character comes from…

our habits are responsible for the person we become.

Our thoughts, our words, our action, our habits…

these are important…

these are key

and its best to pay attention to them 

because…

they become our destiny.

When I was young:

I planned to be a football star…but I wasn’t the right size

When I was young:

I planned to be a movie star…but that never materialized

When I was young:

I planned to be a doctor…but the sight of blood made me faint

When I was young:

I planned to be a famous writer…but obviously…I ain’t.

When I was young:

I planned to be a farmer and live off of the land

But as is glaringly apparent…

life doesn’t always go as planned.

When I was young:

I never planned to go to college…

I wanted to stay home with my peers

When I was young:

I never planned to be a teacher…but I taught for 30 years

When I was young:

I never planned to move to Florida…

but now I’m here to stay

When I was young:

I never planned to marry and have a family…

but now wouldn’t have it any other way.

When I was young I made so many plans

but now that I’m older I have come to understand:

Most of the love and happiness in my life has come…

from all the things I never planned.

Condemned to this rot,

a soul without a plot,

wondering this abyss,

with no one to kiss,

life taken away so quick,

makes one question if you

ever actually exist?

It was just my luck to be awakened by a noise out on the porch…

I walked outside to take a look…without a flashlight, match or torch.

I never found what made the noise but in that early morning breeze

when I looked up, in the dark of night, I saw stars twinkling through the trees.

The bridge we wanted to cross was closed…another unlucky break…

Except the road we ended up on encircled this beautiful lake.

We stopped to enjoy the view…which was not what we had planned…

We had a wonderful time…and met the kindest man.

Sometimes I wonder about my luck for it often makes me grin…

when I think back on certain moments of my life…and how unlucky I have been.

Like the time while on vacation in Chattanooga, Tennessee…

We took a wrong turn and ended up at the Moon Pie factory.

We stopped in to try their latest concoction…an ice cream sandwich loaded with fudge.

Were we unlucky or were we lucky? Sometimes it’s hard to judge.

And so I wonder…

Am I unlucky when I trip and fall…face down…right in the street

Or am I lucky because it teaches me to get back upon my feet?

Am I unlucky when I fail…when my chance for success is gone…

Or am I lucky because in failing…I’ve learned to pick up and go on?

Yes I wonder about my life and the all those moments that go amiss…

For If I wasn’t so unlucky…think of all the things I ‘d miss.

When I was young I had big plans…I knew eventually

what I wanted to do with my life…and who I wanted to be.

I wanted to be a baseball star…the envy of the nation…

until I realized to be one…takes good eye-hand coordination.

Then I wanted to be a football star…have my name emblazoned on my shirt…

until I realized I was much too small…and all that tackling hurt!

Next I wanted to be an astronaut…and soar up among the stars…

until I realized my tummy ached…just riding in the car.

Then I wanted to be President…in charge of all the masses…

until I realized somedays…I can’t even find my glasses.

Eventually a teacher, husband, father and grandfather

is what I came to be…

and I often wonder if I chose them…

or if they have chosen me.

Yes, when I was young I had big plans

but I didn’t know…eventually

who I am in my life

is who I’d want to be.