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Having a variety of insurance programs is part of every successful person's risk management package. Health, life, auto, home replacement, and renter's and disability insurance are common forms of insurance that provide a sense of security about the future.

When I was ten, my cousins and I would often play in the Old Motor Parkway. To us, it was a wonderful long grassy space surrounded by little trees and overgrown shrubbery.

One of the teachings of the Native American Elders is that “everything is interconnected.” Most of us think of the connections we have made with family, with friends and neighbors.

Decisions Many times along our pathway in life we come to a point of decision making. Some of these decisions are ordinary, like whether to make a casserole or soup. Some are more serious, like when to take the family on a trip to visit Grandma. And some are really challenging, like changing jobs or dealing with relationship issues (at work or at home). Making good decisions takes discipline and the willingness to engage your thinking by using a few cues. Some of these cues you can arrange before you have to make the decision. Dreams, Goals, and Expectations Effective decisions enhance your personal dreams, goals and expectations. These change at different stages of your life. What was important in one stage of life has either been met or left behind. Now you need to rethink what is it that you are trying to accomplish. Consider the casserole versus soup decision. At 20 you are very busy and running around needing lots of carbs, at 45 you are spending time at the gym trying to keep your body trim and healthy, and looking for ways to cut carbs. Then, at 80, you might be trying just to stay healthy, so you might make a soup with some of the casserole ingredients. Different goals require different decisions. Decisions Impact Others Consider the impact that your decision will have on: long term goals, relationships with family members, expression of the talents loaned by your Creator. For instance, if you want to consider a job in a different location, what will you get out of that? What sacrifices will it require for you and your individual family members (spouse, children)? Will you be leaving behind a support network? Would this change represent a running towards or a running from something? Controlling Anxiety “Do not be anxious in anything.” (Phil 4:6). This is a good reminder, and it comes with an admonition that we present our concerns to our Creator with a thankful heart and expect to see a resolution or a suggestion. Anxiety diminishes creativity. And creativity is just what is needed to solve a sticky wicket decision. For instance, maybe moving the family may not be essential. Consider that this job could be accomplished remotely, with Zoom and some travel. Keep your heart open, and resolve to use your gifts for the work of your Creator. God’s creativity is greater than ours will ever be. If what is presented to you is part of His need for your talents, then you will be amazed at what you will see! Think of your Creator as saying, “Look, I’ve got this. You just be ready to do the work!” There are stories both from family members and people we read about in books, who had a dream that included God as the Director of their Dream Team. Here is an example from my world. An engineer with 8 children became frustrated because his bosses would keep his inventions as their own and without credit to him. He made the incredible decision build his own company; he implemented his dream. He also designated God as his primary Director, with whom he conferred daily. He enlisted all of his family members to help with this effort in some way; they became part of his Dream Team. Fifty years later, his company was nationally known, his inventions were prominent technology and his faith was still strong. All 8 of the children had fine educations, strong marriages and children of their own, and he helped to build a church in his community. When he passed away at 100, he was able to support many causes that represented his values and interests. He is one of my great heroes. Values My Hero assessed his values, which became the standards used for decision making. Here is a question he used. What is important to you emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually? What is important to you represents the values that you hold dear. These may also be linked to your strengths, and your dreams. Write them down—or draw pictures that represent what is important to you. Then consider how your decision will impact the values that you have. Will the decision enhance or compromise your values? Policies Create a set of policies that align with your goals and support your values. These policies are statements that you make to remind you to protect your values and your goals. Here are some examples: I organize my day to enhance my talents and skills. I read about and watch videos about people who used their creativity solve problems. I review my values and goals before I make decisions. I include my Creator in order to address the anxieties of decision making. Your policies can also acknowledge your own weaknesses and allow you to fend off demands on your time, energy, and income that do not support your dream. I make choices based upon how they support my dream. I put away a certain percentage of earnings to support my dream. I donate a certain percentage of my earnings to benefit others. I focus my energy only on the activities to support my dream and my values. Decisions? So, now that you have the cues, it is time to think about those decisions that you think you want to make, and the dreams you want to implement. It might take some time to put together your decision chart. You will need to identify goals, values, and commitments (to your Dream Team). This exercise will provide you with a set of standards you can use when you have to make “sticky-wicket” decisions, and make your dreams a reality.

Awakening Every step you take presents a change: a change in what you are experiencing, what you see in front of you; a change in your thought process. If you are on a journey to find yourself, a mountain hike, or a trek through the park, or even a walk around the block can be a great chance to experience differences and newness. This experience is likely to awaken images or thoughts that bring about an awareness of something prodding you to do something different. You may come to a point of decision, a light in the path, that jostles the thought pattern, a wake-up with new insights. This could be the still, small voice of God guiding you toward a purpose that is larger than yourself. Who is in Charge? Now, you may think that you are the one in charge of your life. But have you ever noticed that many of the plans that you thought you had were really half-baked and took you nowhere? Did you ever hear the challenge in your heart: “what are you doing here?” This could be right when you were about to do something you would regret forever. Or it could be while you were wandering around in the wilderness of your worries, or lost in a cave of distress, like Elijah (1Kings 9:9). Or, perhaps, you were startled by a dream or a vision where you heard your name called. Young Samuel, before he became a prophet, heard the Voice calling him in the middle of the night and he finally responded with “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1Samuel 3:9-10). Purpose Our Creator has a purpose for us. He engages us with subtle words or flashes of insight. The Creator provided Elijah with nourishment and a new set of tasks during the depths of his despair and fear. Elijah was receptive. Being receptive means that we are aware that we need help, and we are willing to listen. Many people who are now recovering from an addiction will say that when they hit bottom they experienced a vision or a message from their Creator. Samuel was just a young boy, but he was called by God to initiate a new direction for his people. He was willing. We must also be willing to listen. In the Karate Kid, Mr. Miagi made this point by pouring tea into his student’s cup until it ran over. He explained to the Kid, you will not be able to learn until you empty your cup. We must be willing to engage in a purpose that is beyond our selfish interests. It is in humility that we find that receptiveness to explore our purpose. We can engage with the Creator to fill us with light so that we can see, and, understand how to use our gifts to address the needs we find in our communities. Engaging So what does it mean to engage in the purpose? Engage means to step up and take action. Most people want meaning and mission in their lives. It is important that they feel engaged in something that makes a difference. The process of engagement requires awareness. Take the opportunity on your journey to be aware of your gifts and your blessings. It is too easy, even prideful to dwell upon your anger, disappointments, or losses. Think back to the times when you were feeling connected. Or, remember when you used the special talents and gifts that engage you. Consider what kind of problems you helped others to solve. These could be as simple as pulling weeds in Grandma’s garden; or, as challenging as writing a software program that allows people to monitor their blood pressure. Look for the Creator’s guidance. St Augustine said: Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you(1). 1https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/saint‐augustine‐quotes

Why does change strike fear into the hearts of even the strongest people? I am not talking about rearranging the living room furniture or moving the business office across town.

In times of chaos, pathways in the organization may also feel like a tangled, hot, forest with hidden traps, scary bugs and screeching beasts that we can hear in the distance, but cannot see.

Sometimes, our pathway leads to the unknown. In business, employees and leaders are being challenged by new ways of doing their jobs.

Conflict can be like a fire, it is dangerous, it is hot, it is disorienting and yet after it settles down, there is a new clarity of what could be.

Keeping track of 2 toddlers and a tween-ager, along with working on a doctorate, cultivating my marriage and running a business seems like 4 full time jobs.

Not all of the pathways in our life journey are clearly marked. Some can be more like a deer trail moving through the forest.

How often do you actually stop on your path, and focus on the sunset or the sunrise? I have a group of friends who send pictures of our mountains in the morning or in the late afternoon. Some of the colors are so spectacular. Clouds can be that way also. Each cloud has its own shape — one that dissipates as you watch it.

The smoke billowed up into the atmosphere, and the wind was blowing the burned magazine pages and pieces of newspapers right into our yard. Even pieces of shingles blew into our yards that night. We lived 8 miles from the hills that were burning. It was hard to breathe. Many of my friends were in the long lines of cars coming out of the housing developments that were on engulfed. They said that the smoke was so thick, all they could think about was how to breathe without inhaling the ashes. Only the tail lights of the cars in front of them, showed them how to get out of the area. Smoke swirled around the cars, like so many snakes.  The smell carried to our house as well. It wasn’t like the smell of a bon fire, it was sharp and stung our lungs. It wasn’t just trees and wood that was burning, it was shingles, paint, tar, plastic, furniture. People with lung diseases were sick for days after. The sky was lit up behind the smoke as the fire consumed the pine trees all the way up the mountain pass. Even from our house we could see the tree crowning in sections of the mountains. It was a scary night and we could not go to sleep thinking about the hundreds of families who were evacuated from the mountain side estates. We were glued to the TV to hear what was happening. Several tourist attractions and ranches burned to the ground. Homes were lost, and two people were killed by the fire. The weird thing about the fire was that it hopped over some of the houses, leaving them standing as lone sentinels in a field of chimneys and cement sidewalks. It took a good 36 hours for the firemen to contain the fire, and when it was all over, the burned pine trees looked like tufts of hair on an old man’s head. News videos of the once luscious pine green forest that blanketed the canyons and mountain sides showed blackened hills with burnt stakes that had once been trees. Driving up the pass, news cameras showed the line where the fire was contained by the firefighters to the north side of the pass. They followed the U.S. President has he gazed upon the devastation.

We normally think of pathways as a road or a dirt path but that isn’t always the case. This is especially true when you begin to think of the pathway as part of a journey. A journey can be an emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual experience that takes you from one realm to another in in your life.  And, that journey can also benefit from a helper, a guide, or an instructor. Leaping off a cliff in a hang glider is a special type of journey that requires trust, courage, deliberation, and determination. The young woman in this picture has an image of herself flying over the obstacles on the ground and sailing over the hills, seeing the land from a bird’s eye view. But, she has never done this before, so she has an instructor who has explained the special equipment, provided tips for guiding the hang glider, and agreed jump with her! All of these events can translate into a physical allegory for a launching of yourself into a new career or a new relationship.

We do not live in isolation. Choosing a path, dreaming about an adventure, creating a strategy for getting there, or just allowing the river of life to bounce us along still involves other people.

Everyone is a leader (mentor) to someone else. I can remember when I was six and my brother was 4. He would follow me everywhere. He wanted to be where I was. He wanted to play with me and my friends!

There is a blizzard outside my window and I can hear the wind whistling through the trees. It has been like this on and off for days. Going outside is miserable, with the wind whipping my breath away.

At first glance this statement seems to be a real puzzle. What does it mean to create a healing forest? Why is it important to even think about such a thing? And, what does it take to make that happen?

The bridge in this photo is taking this person from one section of that park to another. She is leaving specific scenery and activities and moving into another environment. The bridge provides connections and supports for this transition.

Learning a new skill takes patience and determination. Small children think they can do something with ease. A 6 year old can watch people riding horses on TV and say “I can do that!” Then, when confronted with a real horse—huge and intimidating no matter how gentle, they quickly realize there is more to this than hopping on! Learning to be a barrel racer, roper, or just to be a good horseman takes years of practice, research, gaining confidence, enriching oneself emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Developing a skill takes effort and it is important to lay out a step-by-step path to make that happen! Learning can take place in informal group activities, or in classrooms, or by reading or watching presentations by people who might have clues to help you. For instance, in working with my horses, I find the need to understand them better. A good way for me to do this is to observe professional trainers on You Tube videos. I can also watch experienced trainers work with the horses where I volunteer.

My friends are always telling me about their Uma, Nagyi, Bubbe, or their Abuela. My mother had a Babcha. She was Polish and was a midwife both in Poland and in Roslyn, NY. When my brothers and I visited relatives in Long Island, we would hear many stories about Babcha and her extended family. She arrived in Pennsylvania along with her pregnant daughter, three grandchildren and her son-in-law, who was a coal miner in Willke’s Barr around 1913. There was a Polish community there, where all the men worked in the coal mines. It was hard and dirty work. The families lived in housing provided by the mining company. Then, there was a mine accident and her son-in-law lost his eye. The family moved to Roslyn, NY where the family worked for the wealthy estate owners as gardeners or maids. (This was an irony since that is what they did in Poland before they left—worked for the “aristocrats”). These were not highly educated people, nor were they “high” society. They struggled to make ends meet, saved their money to build a house, and everyone pitched in, putting their various skills to work, to make a living. They also had a strong faith. And, they kept their extended family together. The main family and their cousins and in-laws all lived within three blocks of each other in the beginning.

In the work place, as in life, there are many times that it pays to be a critical thinker. As teenagers we were often dragged along with the crowd, especially in what to wear, trendy places to eat, or certain types of music, or social gathering our friends recommended. Unfortunately now, teens are being encouraged to take irreversible decisions about their bodies. They are being encouraged to shout hateful things at people who are different from them. They proclaim what they hear, without considering the implications of what they are saying, or the implications of what they are doing.  The news media bombards us every day with information about current events, in our own country and around the world. Social influencers on media sites provide a siren call for those who are sympathetic to plight of others, or those who want to participate in something bigger than themselves. Social media personalities demand that they take sides whether in politics, social concerns, or international conflicts. The drumbeat of continuous messages cause young people and caring adults to make decisions based upon the words that they hear through their various sources of information, regardless of whether this information is true or not. Too often, well-meaning people (younger and older) just go along to get along.

It is said that everyone has motivation. Motivation refers to the intent to move toward something or away from something. To motivate means to cause to move. In my work with horses, I have become very much aware of the response that horses have to pressure. This characteristic allows people to train horses to do incredible things from catching calves to barrel racing, or dressage, and more intricate specialties. Motivating the horse depends on the pressure that is applies when and where. A person is motivated toward a positive or, to avoid a negative. The pressure is the same. Getting control of our motivation requires wisdom. So where does wisdom come from? For most of us, wisdom comes with our experience in making choices. Choices are reflections of our decisions. And, often these decisions come from our intent. Intent is another way of saying will. Most of us are aware that we have free will. That means we must make decisions and those decisions are made based upon the values that we hold dear. Some of these values are so strong that they direct our will, which in turn shapes the decisions we make. So what are values? Values are standards that we use to make our decisions. “I will do what I want to do and no one can stop me!” This represents the rebellion of a teenager who is tired of having everyone tell him what to do. His will is to be independent. His values are freedom and autonomy. These choices seem to be positive, but can be self-destructive, if the person does not possess the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual qualities needed to exercise the values that he professes. If the choices are driven by feelings—a will to feel independent—then the person may lack the skills and capabilities to enable him to be successful by himself. A person’s will can also be reflected in the willingness to undertake a challenge, or to accept another way of thinking. Motivation can also be shaped by lessons learned in childhood, or by what was learned from people whom we admire or people we fear. Motivation can be shaped by injustice, physical, emotional, mental or spiritual trauma. A person who has continuously thwarted in what they try to do by people who think they have control over them, might plan a strategy to break away with the statement: “I’ll show you!” This person may have been deliberately planning, collecting resources, developing skills, and making the connections so that she could be successful in an endeavor. This person’s decision might reflect the standard (value) of self-respect. Getting to where we want to go requires having the wisdom to understand how to use our values, knowledge, experience, and judgement to make decisions. We need to learn how to direct our motivation towards doing what is wise (as opposed to foolish). Every action we take is based upon a choice. And every choice has a particular consequence—positive or negative and sometimes both! Some choices are made with careful deliberation; like which career are we going to choose. Other choices might be made based on feelings: how a particular outfit makes us feel, how we feel in the presence of a particular person. Emotional maturity enables a person to identify the difference between choices made by feelings and those made by reason. Reason helps us to prepare. Feelings are a reaction to what we are experiencing. Making choices is influenced by both feelings and reason. And, we must first be aware of the standards (values) that we are using to make those decisions. This is where wisdom enters. Anyone can make a decision. Some people get angry (feelings) and run out the door without a coat and with out any food (choices). Others get angry (feelings) and make a plan to have a destination and some resources (choices). Wisdom comes as we learn about human behavior in general, about what capabilities are needed to follow a particular path, especially if that path could be dangerous. Books can provide us with insights about wisdom: Two Years Before the Mast by William Henry Dana; or Genesis and Exodus (the way of the human being); Proverbs (simple saying with timeless application); Shakespeare’s plays provide examples of choices in need of wisdom. Solzhenitsyn’s In the First Circle (clinging to choices). Ask people you respect and admire what books have provided wisdom for them.

There will always be something. There will always be wars, struggles and imperfections in our environment. This is the way of the earth and the way of mankind. Just take a look at Genesis and Exodus to see the frailty of the human spirit over 3000 years ago! Consider the history of the world since then. There is never a perfect time. Finding a need and filling it might seem to be a daunting task, but you can start small and use your talents to enhance what you have. It also helps to enlist your Creator as a co-founder and board member in this endeavor! 

One of the best reasons for going on a hike is to be away from all of the distractions of daily life. Whether the path is laid out clearly with boundaries, or faintly with suggestions, the opportunity to think along different lines is immense. The air is filled with the smells of the earth, the pine trees, the sounds of the birds and the water splashing over the rocks. The eagle’s cry brings our eyes up to the clouds with their many patterns. What do I see up there today? Last week I saw a parrot in the clouds, another time, an alligator! Once a cloud looked like Moses. That was neat! The feeling that I have on my little hikes into the hills is one of gratitude and great appreciation for the beauty that surrounds me. That extends to a great thankfulness to the Creator for the life that I have been given, for the people who share my life, for family, friends, and neighbors who I meet as I move along the path. We don’t’ all have the same views all the time, and this is good because you can learn how others see the world as well. Sometimes the things that the people I meet on my journeys are people who have had great hurts or trauma in their lives. It is important to listen to them and to listen to how they see the world. It isn’t necessary to change how they see the world, but it might be helpful to share your own experiences, your strengths, and your hopes.

Where are you going? Not all pathways are marked clearly, but you can find vantage points that give you the big picture and help you plan a strategy for tackling the next path for the journey. The key for success is to know where you want to go and what you need to get there. Otherwise you will just get stuck on this pile of rocks and not get anywhere. Early explorers did not have street maps and freeways with bridges to connect them to the far beyond. They had to rely upon their ability to find and follow tracks left by animals or other explorers. They had to recognized landmarks and what the contours of the earth indicated. They also had to develop a significant amount of self-confidence and willingness to take on the unimagined with grit and determination. But what they really needed to do was to overcome their fears and utilize the ultimate power of their Creator.

In particularly challenging times, a good leader is essential. In the frontier days, the Scout was used to look ahead to find a path wide enough for the wagon train, to find water enough to take care of the horses, cows, and oxen. The scout also mapped out the path that would avoid dangerous areas. The scout creates confidence for the Wagon Train Master and the rest of the travelling community. Even in the animal community, there are scouts and leaders. Pathways are not always clear, and they are not always easy. Some require training and special techniques. Rocky, steep, and uncertain trails require thoughtful observation and careful analysis, sometimes some engineering skills to cross the more dangerous places. Rocky Mountain sheep have specific skills that make them good leaders in these treacherous conditions!

What is your strategy? Not everyone knows that a strategy is how you accomplish things. There are intentional strategies and passive strategies. My puppy follows her nose when we go outside. Her goal is to get all the p-mail. And her vision is to find out what is happening around the neighborhood, who the dogs are and how they all feel. Dogs have incredible smell systems, much more effective that those of the human. This is a pretty passive strategy; she would literally wander around following her nose for hours. My horse has his own strategy— that of avoiding all things that could eat him. So I have to learn what he thinks is scary and make sure that he ia brave enough to get near it. Right now, he does not like pink strollers on the pathway. That is a very scary obstacle! It creates a conflict. From my perspective he refusing to go forward. He sees it all differently. He is a prey animal. He thinks that everything new is out to get him! So his suspicion and potential flight response is very keen.

Having a friend on the pathway makes the journey much more fun. Choosing the right friend makes all the difference! There are many different pathways that fill our lives. There is the pathway for education, for career, for marriage and family, for faith, for volunteer work, for political action and many more.  While it is common to start on a pathway to a particular destination through a personal decision, it helps to have other people to be with you to actually make the journey. There is a catalyst when you speak your vision to the right companion. This person can affirm your idea and even help you flesh out what you want.

Some pathways require considerable stamina and deliberate preparation. Running on this track in the desert must be really intense. Imagine the heat! Here is a man who has set a goal and who has taken the time to do the work. He has created a vision of what he wants to achieve and he has taken the time and energy to define what skills, performance objectives, mental and physical stamina he needs. He may also have extended his preparation into the spiritual (unseen) realm as well. Perhaps he is preparing for a marathon to honor his grandfather, or to bring recognition to his family and community. Or perhaps he is making this part of his commitment to reclaim his own life and demonstrate to himself that he has the capability to do anything he wants to do!

Is your pathway filled with distractions pulling your attention away from your goal and into something of immediate interest? It is easy to let distractions realign the path we are on. It this picture, the pathway is distinct. It doesn’t even look particularly difficult. But, like so many assignments whether at work, home, or school, there is sometimes a huge resistance to simply following the path! The bush of white flowers is very interesting. How did it get there, what kind of bush is it? There is a wall in front of the path that you have to climb over to get to the steps. And there seems to be a deeper forest beyond the visible steps. Am I prepared for this, will it lead me somewhere, or will I just get thirsty and bitten by mosquitos? And, of course, my sign on the bookcase says “Stop and Smell the Flowers.” So now I have a good excuse to just sit here on the wall, take pictures of the flowers and the grasses and investigate how the steps were made. The whole day passes and I have made no progress toward my stated tasks.

A starting place for my pathway. I am looking out the kitchen window. My world is framed by the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, punctuated by the snowcapped Pike’s Peak. We are nearly 7,000 feet above sea level. The trees in the foreground, Russian Olive, Locust, Silver Maple, Aspen, Pine and Spruce create a rich forest of smells. Their leaves and needles are scattered across the lawns and piled up against the fences, and crushed on the sidewalks and driveways. The smell is heady, reminding me of playing football in the yard, and raking piles of leaves high, then stuffing them into the large bags, where I stomp on them to release their smell! These trees are homes to brown and black squirrels, crows, chickadees, robins and magpies in other seasons. In the summer, the trees shade my house from the harshness of the summer sun. The robins stop at our house in late spring to raise their babies and eat the raisins my husband set on the planter for them each day. By August they are gone, replaced by the tiny humming bird warriors who dart in and out of the purple and pink morning glories that climb the trellis on the porch and sip from the feeder that my husband carefully prepares for them. And, the yellow daisies are everywhere in abundance. They look lovely and make my eyes water and bring about sneezing jags, but love looking at them sway in the breezes. 

What happens when the path is blocked by rocks, weeds, and other barriers? So you are moving along a good path in your life or in the work place. All of a sudden you are confronted with confusing policies or things that seem to go wrong. Or you take a risk and buy a house only to find yourself the victim of a layoff! Now you have a series of crises that all need attention at the same time and it seems overwhelming. You can’t figure out what needs to be done first to get a handle on the challenges in the pathway

Some pathways are very broad and have a variety of twists and turns, making it easy to get distracted, or even lost! Using a map to mark your destination can make all the difference!

Are you experiencing some cliff hangers or uncertain ground in your employment pathway? With all the changes in workplace expectations, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence in specific job groups, it might be worth creating some Employability Insurance for yourself. This might help you to bridge the gaps in your pathway and feel confident that you can continue forward ven if the path is rugged! What would employability insurance look like if it could be found? It would be a means of insuring that no matter what happened in the workplace there would be another opportunity for a job equal to or better than the one currently held. Realities of Lifetime Employment: There was a time when companies hired people for life. Their path was laid out for them, and they were expected to follow it for life. In Japan, some companies still hire people for life. Lifetime employment generally insures a paycheck, but it does not insure the opportunity to challenge yourself mentally, to do the job you enjoy, to exercise your leadership skills, or to be rewarded with a sense of achievement. However, the shifting tides of the marketplace are making lifetime employment with one company not only unlikely, but unattractive as well. Many of us, still uncomfortable with change, tend to fall into a complacency about our careers and expect the company to "support" us forever. This is just not realistic. Essentially, people who are satisfied just collecting a paycheck are mindlessly trudging down a path, just wishing to get to the end of it!

You never know who you might meet on your path . You might be surprised as we were when this bear came to visit on our street! In our minds, the pathway to our goal, generally does not anticipate big, scary creatures who may or may not want to 5 eat us! Fortunately, this particular bear was a little more like Yogi Bear in that he was headed for the honey combs that our neighbor had been cultivating all summer long! We live in an area where there is a huge migration trail for the coyotes, bobcats, cougars, bears, and even sometimes an elk travelling from the mountains to the west into our little valley nestled under the bluffs. So, it should not be too surprising that we have large visitors ambling down the street!

Pathways on a journey can become inundated by unforeseen events. This is when integrity becomes important. Why integrity? First, integrity comes from the word integral which refers to the core element that keeps something together. So if a person has integrity, that means they operate from a core value system that keeps them on a continuous path. The problem is that in today’s economic, political and cultural climate integrity is often sacrificed for quick rewards. We call this out as going where the wind blows. Having integrity means knowing what is important to you in your actions, relationships, and in your belief systems. This creates the solid ground upon which you continue your journey, despite what happens around you. OUR VISION CAN GET MUDDIED In the picture, the pathway has been muddied. How much of what we hear in the news on the internet or see in our communities reflects a set of values and actions that are feel foreign or even undermine our trust in ourselves? This can be very frustrating. When these new values wash over the culture, they impact our schools, workplaces, and our conversations with neighbors and family. The question becomes, do I hold onto my values and go with the flow? Or do I take a stand for what has kept me on a solid path so far? What are the practical choices? You could stand back from this muddy mess and consider an alternative direction in your path. How can you can you get around the mess. Or how could you build a bypass over the mud; or divert the water from this section and drain it off. When do you know what strategy to try? PROBLEMS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES This is the point in your journey where you might need to recognize that Problems Create Opportunities . This is your opportunity to evaluate what each of the concerns you are confronting, and make a determination about which one may need to be a launching point. One day, I was having lunch with my friend, an HR Director for a very large company. We were eating in the very large and subsidized cafeteria. (Subsidized means that the company paid something for the lunches, so our costs were very minimal). A hamburger and fries or a big salad was 1/3 the cost it would be at the nearby restaurants. The entire campus of this company was designed to keep employees on site. My friend was very unhappy. She had stumbled into the swamp of office politics and envious people. After listening to her description of the mud and weeds, rocks and stumps that prevented her from enjoying her work, I said simply: “Well, why don’t you just quit!” She opened her mouth in great surprise and said “Oh No! I am not ready to do that!” I replied that it sounded like this muddy place was really getting under her skin and she would not be very happy unless she took some action on her part (i.e. seize control of the situation). This would enable her to act with integrity and maintain the integrity of her life long journey. Over the next few months she focused on her work, ignored the gossip and began to improve herself. She finished not only her bachelor’s degree, but her master’s degree as well. She was building a ramp over the muddy swamp so she could launch herself into new adventures on her path, which she did. She went on to found a women’s spiritual group that bought companionship, inspiration, and stories of women who overcame incredible hardships in their lives. And that was just one of the things that her journey included after she decided to get out of the mud! FIND A SOLID FOOTHOLD To wade through this environment, you will need to go slowly, planting your foot on the solid area under the water and even sliding your feet through the water to get to the other side of the swampy mess. Or, like my friend, it may be important to build yourself so that you are better equipped to get out of the mud! The pathway, like yourself, must have integrity and where it is weak, you must build it up and use your strength of character to get past this section of the journey.

When driving, or even walking down a path , it is likely that our thoughts are on the far-yonder , and the flowers along the way are easily overlooked, or a reminder that it is allergy time! Of course, you have to stop your journey in order to pay close attention to the flowers. And, that is just the point of the distraction! In life, we are often too busy, or in too much of a hurry to actually take the time and the effort to examine the details. It is in paying attention to the details that our goals are achieved. In this picture of the road, you can see the vision of you want: the mountain top that is far away! You can also see part of the pathway for getting there. You may have been dreaming about and envisioning your goal for a long time. WHAT IS THE PICTURE IN YOUR MIND? You may have a picture in your mind about the way the top of that mountain looks! It has some very cold snow on it, from the top you can see for miles all around you! You can see also that there trees are different and you hear the sound of the wind. You might be anticipating the feeling of excitement about getting to the top of that mountain, where you can even taste the crisp cold air and see for miles. This envisioning with all your senses is very important as you set out your goals. You must have a vision of where you want to be, or you cannot get there! It’s like being at the edge of your driveway and forgetting where you were headed: to the office or to the grocery store. Without the image in your head you cannot turn left or right! You may have even laid out some milestones on a map to help you see how far you have come. Since this could be a life goal, work goal, or education goal, the mountain is actually a metaphor, so the map in this case would not be a regular map, but it might be a list of things that you have to do. This is where the flowers along the way play an important role. I have a wooden paperweight on my bookcase that provides a suggestion for those of us who are in a hurry and so excited we forget to take the time to experience where we are and what we might learn from out current situation. The saying is: “Don’t hurry! Don’t worry! Stop, and smell the flowers.” So what does this really mean? For me, smelling the flowers, especially these pretty yellow ones brings about sneezing and eye watering! There must be another message! So let’s take a look at the flowers, close up! FLOWERS KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL Notice where the flowers have put themselves! They are right along the pathway where everyone can find them! Look at the intricacy of what actually makes up this flower! It has a very long stem that brings water to the plant, and especially to the flower and helps also with photosynthesis. The petals are many and they are evenly distributed with each petal looking slightly different from another. The black center is where the action takes place. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers, sit upon the petals and gather nectar from the plan while at the same time picking up the pollen and flying off to another flower to share the pollen. What an amazing design. What can we learn from this beautiful little sunflower (probably a weed in someone’s book)? WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE FLOWERS Here are some suggestions: ∙ How is your goal contributing to the growth and development of your family, your community, your company, or your team? ∙ How are you attracting others to help you with your goal? ∙ How are you making yourself attractive so that others will want to help you along? ∙ What do you have to offer that others might need? ∙ How are you gathering nourishment along your way? (i.e. What are you learning? How are you growing spiritually?) YOU ALSO HAVE AN INNATE PURPOSE Another thing to marvel at with these pretty little flowers, is that they are very hearty and have evolved to overcome a variety of problems that the annuals we buy at the store experience! They grow even though the soil is not perfect and the water may be limited. They don’t have any humans tending to them; rather they depend upon their Creator to take care of them. They fulfill their purpose and achieve their goal by living the way they were supposed to live. A sunflower knows what it means to be a sunflower. If we allow ourselves to focus on the details of who we are, what our purpose is, and what our path could be, then we will be able to identify the need that is out there and we can fill it.

Some pathways promise new opportunities ! However, when you get to the end, the opportunities are deceptive! In this scene, the pathway is almost a half mile long in a very hot valley . The house beckons the wayfarer with suggestions of shade, water, food comfort and potential friendship! But alas! It is all empty. The doors and windows are locked. No one lives there and, of course, there are no horses, no cows. At the end of a long hot day, the empty opportunity of this path brings discouragement, and a big thirst for change! A RESOURCE TO USE FOR MAKING QUALITY CHOICES Where did the choices go wrong? Maybe a little resource devised by Walter A. Shewart can be helpful. Shewart’s PDCA Cycle was developed as a tool for solving industrial problems early in the 2Oth Century. However, it might be just the thing to get out of dead end or prevent yourself from getting boxed in! PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) was included as a tool for the Quality movement and promoted by Edward Deming as a means for continuous improvement. ANTICIPATING THE PATHWAY I have two friends who raised boys and who, themselves, were good teachers. Their families had many adventures to national parks, tourist attractions, zoos, and so on. One of the things that both of the moms did was to insist that the boys, who were 11 and 13, use the internet to find out all about the upcoming adventure and to make a plan about what they wanted to see and do. This allowed the boys to preview where they were going and to build some anticipation about what they might see and do. This helped to keep the boys engaged in the adventure and take ownership for what they were going to get out of the adventure! It generally worked very well. And, the boys still had lots to discover once they got to the actual location. The boys did the work, then they compared what they found to what they saw at the adventure site, and then they acted in relation to what they saw. APPLYING THE RESOURCE Planning begins with an idea. This idea needs to be fleshed out. The Do is part of the planning. Every project requires that great learning. And it is important to do the research, not just dabble in it. There are many details that need to be considered, and each one of those details are essential. Check means to look closely and compare your results against a standard. If something is missing, you take Action and to go back through the Plan, the Do, and Check and study what might have gone wrong. Refinement makes a difference. Planning, overall, takes many steps. We all know people who seem to go from project to project, course to course, management program of the month! Each of them suffers from the failure to develop the details, do the work of engaging what needed to such as teachers, trainers, videos, books. They don’t take the time to make the milestones that will allow them to check their work against a standard. They don’t take action in the moment, nor do they stop and go back to the beginning to see what might have been missing. In short, they give up. They see the empty building and say “well that’s a bust” and do not even think to go up the hill beyond the log house to where the museum is that has all of the learning resources! A short visit to the website for the location would have provided background information and more learning opportunities! ADVENTURES AT THE ZOO I tried the anticipatory Plan-Do-Check-Act with my 5 year old daughter. She wanted to go to the Zoo. So I asked her what she thought she would see at the zoo. She said Tigers and Bears! That let me know that she was interested in specific areas of the zoo. So we looked at pictures of different types of tigers and different types of bears. We watched videos about bears and tigers. We talked about tigers and bears and what they do. We made growls like tigers and bears! We pretended to be tigers and bears! We also talked about how we would be walking at the zoo and what might make our walk more comfortable (i.e. a hat, a bottle of water). I suggested the stroller that I used to take her with me when I would go jogging. She put her hands on her hips and said, “Mom! I am not a baby, you know! I can walk.” So we settled for sneakers. The day that we went, instead of traipsing up every alley and through every display, we followed the path to the tigers and then over to the bears.  We checked out what we saw with what we had learned from the pictures and videos we had watched about tigers and bears. She saw new things. The tiger was much bigger than a kitty cat and he had huge teeth! The bear looked nothing like Winne the Pooh in real life, and he was very stinky. On the way out of the zoo, she was eagerly looking around at the other exhibits we passed by and said, “Can we come back and see the parrots and the snakes next time?” And then we went to have some ice cream. It was a very nice day at the zoo.

Some pathways might present a way, but then as you explore them, what you find is dark and tangled. There is something in your way, or the pathway itself may lead to no where! That is frustrating! All that time and effort spent, and for what? WHAT?! I CANNOT HAVE IT NOW? We live in a microwave society! We want instant gratification . We want it now! We have thoughts that suggest we deserve to have what we want right now! You can buy all you want with credit cards! You can buy a house with a very small down payment; and even refinance after a while to get money to pay for more goods . You can buy a car on the installment plan. This pathway seems great —- until your credit is exhausted, the creditors are calling your phone night and day, your car is being repossessed and your house is under foreclosure! HITTING BOTTOM Coming face to face with the dark end of the pathway is called hitting the bottom. You hear this term applied to other people: those who drink too much, who use illegal drugs, or who gamble their lives away. Now, you are seeing that you too, have entered the black hole of “Now, I don’t know what to do!!! Help me!” But the financial institutions, mom and dad, grandma and grandpa have their own responsibilities to address. You want them to come and clear your pathway? Why would they do that? This is your path, not their path. You are the one who has the great learning ahead of you. MAKE AN INVENTORY OF YOUR CHOICES This becomes a time of reflection and self-inventory. Here are some tools to help clear away the thicket that is hiding your pathway : Honesty: Quit lying to yourself, and look at your choices (and excuses) clearly. Honesty is the pathway to integrity. A person with integrity can carve right thought the tangle on the path. They make different choices. Courage: Have the courage to identify where your accountability lies and where you have responsibilities. Tackle each, one by one. There will be scary nights and even hungry days while you sit on your pathway. You may not think you should have to be courageous. You may think that someone else should do it for you. Well, they won’t. Willingness: In the past your willingness has been to satisfy your immediate need. You have been unwilling to accommodate the needs of others. You have put yourself in the center of the world, and even have thought yourself to be godlike! Newsbreak! The Creator gave you everything you need to be happy and to be successful. It is up to you to learn what that path looks like. It is up to you to learn to see where the boundaries are. Your willingness to drop the façade you have been portraying to impress others, and look at your role in the Creator’s world—not in your world, will be an important decision to make. Forgiveness: So you made a mistake. Begin with forgiveness. Be aware of your role in getting yourself to this point along the path. Recognize what needs to be done differently, and begin to do different things, relate to people differently (they are not here to serve you). Maybe it is time for a change! Now is the best time to begin a new life and work your way through the tangle in the path. Get up, brush yourself off and start pulling out the weeds in your path!

Pathways are nice when you have a well-defined road, but what happens when you can only see part of the path and it seems a long way off? Depending on what the challenge is, there may be some questions that could at least help to clear up how the path should look!

All meaningful and lasting change must come from within. This truth reveals why it is so hard to lose weight, stop smoking, and other addictive behaviors!