A Walk in the Park

Navigate by the same star, unwilling to change, and you find yourself not only off-course but lost (Richard Bach)

My suggestion is that we should have a sense of direction and let life unfold naturally, rather than trying to force it down a particular path, which is what we typically try to do. This will allow you to have a much more experiential view of life, allowing life to come to you. You will meander and weave, and change direction as you find the things you're really passionate about (Stephen Shapiro)

When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there (Zig Ziglar)

On Sunday mornings, Tom usually drives down to the corner shop to get fresh croissants and danishes for our breakfast (a change from Green Juice). But as Kyle and Sarah had slept over and it was a sunny day, we decided to walk down to the Corner Shop with Lily in tow. Now, in my mind, a walk to the corner shop involves walking down the road (albeit the main through road through the village). Lily is not too keen on this as she is somewhat frightened by each car that passes, but she indulges her humans and walks quietly beside them. However, unbeknownst to me, Tom had other ideas. He had consulted his Trusty Walking Map and planned a route for us. So off we set. As we were going to be Walking Down The Road (or so I believed), I had on a summer ‘frock’ and little velvet pumps. I soon realised we were not walking down the road, but on a different route… I now enquired whether I was suitably attired….

When we walked along a little path, through a farm gate and onto a muddy path, I knew I was not. You have to understand that the Mud here is thick and squishy and slippery, like walking through very wet, sludgy Clay. I took one look at this and informed the gang that they needed to wait while I went home and got my Wellies. I surprised myself by Running all the way home! Socks, Jeans and Wellies on I Ran back to the others. Ankle deep in mud, Tom ploughed on nonchalantly as though it was a Walk in the Park! Until…

We came to cross road in the path. Decision time: do we go up and away from the direction we are aiming for, or do we climb over the sty and walk through the field with cows in it? No problem for Sarah. She hops over the sty into the field. When a cow moves towards her she thinks, Maybe not and comes back. Indecision in the ranks. Sarah decides to go over the sty into the field again: This way! An advancing baby bull causes her to promptly leap out again. Whilst falling about laughing, the decision was taken to go through the woods.  

The woods consisted of knee high nettles (Tom was wearing shorts. It is Summer after all… O-o) and a not well trodden path (?) and bracken and thorny branches. We spent half an hour being hopelessly lost before climbing under a barbed wire fence in to a farmer’s field. We were still lost. The Trusty Walking Map was at home and the iPhone’s reception was not too good (this is the country…). Eventually Sarah popped out and asked a rather taken-aback lady for directions. We were heading into town rather than the village shop. The lady didn’t express her surprise, but gave directions to get us back-on-course (really??). Much walking and crawling under another barbed wire fence later, we crossed paths with her and her hounds  again. It seems she was actually going in the same direction as us, but had directed us on a rather long and arduous ‘path’. 

An hour later we reached our destination. We girls decided we needed our coffee and danishes right there at the village shop. We sat outside at the little table and chairs quite happily until the skies opened and spat forth torrential rain!

A walk in the park indeed. Next time I will stay at home and set the table!