We Control Our Own Destinies

Okay, relax. I'm not going all new-age on you, no chanting or mantras will be required, okay?

I was thinking about all the crap that happens which is really beyond our control (like the disposal breaking down during the big Christmas Eve dinner party, requiring you to wash your dishes in the bath tub - and this happened to my sister) and how some people will laugh, or curse, and then move on while others wail against cruel, cruel fates. I suppose some people are wired to experience things more dramatically, but that excuse only works up to a point. Because eventually you have to move past it. I mean crap happens to everyone regardless of race, creed or religion. Human nature might have you venting or whining a bit, but sooner or later you have to realize that you aren't accomplishing anything and people have stopped listening. Move on.

But that's for crap beyond our control. What I really want to write about today is destiny. Because I believe that destiny doesn't "just happen." Was it Shakespeare who said that our fates lie in ourselves? He had a point.

I figure that life is like a long road trip. There's childhood when you are mostly a passenger, but then you move up front and get behind the wheel. And once you are behind that wheel, you can go anywhere. The road is yours and no destination is too far. You are in control. The thing is, you have to know how to deal with the sharp curves, what the road signs mean, how to handle a flat tire, and how to read a map. Being stupid behind the wheel is just, well, stupid. And if you take a left turn when you should have taken a right turn, or take a curve to fast, well its not the cruel fates that got you lost or had you skidding off the road. You're the one in control. You're the one making the decisions. Yeah, even the bad ones. Like when you took that shortcut and got so lost.

But if life has dumped some crap on you, and we ALL get shat upon sooner or later, its not the end of the ride. Its just a detour. Sure its a little scary, but you have your trusty map, a full tank of gas, and air in the tires. See being in control isn't just about getting someplace. Its about getting there in one piece. And sometimes you make amazing discoveries when you get off the expressway. You might even end up someplace better than you had planned. That's okay, you aren't lost. You're just in a different place.

We're behind the steering wheel, in control of our own destinies. But maybe we should keep an open mind about where we're going. Stop and smell the flowers, sing along with car radio, check out that quaint little shop along side the road. What's the hurry anyway. Life is about the journey. Destiny is really just the end.