The Long Road…….

A Preacher once gave a sermon about how life sometimes seems unfair, why do some people seem to get everything they need so easily and quickly, while other people take forever to get where they need to be in life.The Preacher said sometimes you have to just take the long way around or what shes says is the Long Road to some things. Perhaps those Long Roads to where we are going (places in life, people etc) teach us more along the way because some of us need it, I don’t know, I just know something’s take longer to get there.

I found this photo of Death Valley it reminded me of the ‘long road’ sermon but unlike the Long Road in life we cant see where we are going. I figure on these Roads, we often stop, or stall, some of us may even go backwards, such are the difficulties in life. One of my friends took years on her long road to having children, overcoming lots of problems to finally having two beautiful babies.

But I guess the best of taking a Long Road is the people we meet along it, that is, if we stop to spend time with them or letting them join us on the journey, or better still getting to support them on their long roads. Some people who travel with us are not only special but what I call Soul Mates, my belief being that we have more than one Soul Mate (it’s not a romantic term in my understanding) no its men and women who just know us (or we think they do) stand with us through the stops and stalls and help us be who we were meant to be. Put just in the right place to make our lives better and less lonely.

I read a few suggestions of what Soul Mates are and these are the ones that spoke to me, “People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life” Yes frightening as this is I think its true.

Another said “A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave”.

But the best one for me came from another favourite book of mine ‘Eat, Pray and Love’, by Elizabeth Gilbert she said “A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master…” phew and I thought the road was difficult alone, seems that its difficult with Soul Mates too. But growing and learning how to navigate these Long Roads is education in itself. .

The education like the road takes time, which doesn’t fit with my impatient personality, I should have learnt how to walk/run these roads at school but didn’t. Neil Gaiman said “I’ve been making a list of the things they don’t teach you at school. They don’t teach you how to love somebody. They don’t teach you how to be famous. They don’t teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don’t teach you how to walk away from someone you don’t love any longer. They don’t teach you how to know what’s going on in someone else’s mind. They don’t teach you what to say to someone who’s dying. They don’t teach you anything worth knowing.” well said Neil!

So perhaps the education is life itself, with the support is our Soul Mates and my missing patience? Well that may never be achievable, not even on a Long Road…….