I like to view life as a sailboat cruising down a river.
Your own life is the boat,
Life in general is the rapid river,
The tiller is the decisions you make,
The rudder is the action you take on your decision,
The forks in the river are the choices in life,
The stones along the way are the hardships you face.
When the river splits in two,
It’s your duty to decide which path to take.
You move the tiller to match the direction.
The rudder takes action and in that direction you begin moving.
You find yourself on a completely different way;
Still moving forward.
Yes, of course there are rocks and currents on the way--
They will tear your boat and the winds will rip your sail,
But in time, if you don’t lose hope,
The water will clear again,
And soon you learn to repair the ship in which you stand.
Yes, there will come times when you wish to dock,
To pull your ship out of the water,
But you remember that once you dock,
You may never set sail again.
And there will be times, will there not?
When you find your ship is barring far too much weight.
So much that you are slowly sinking.
Though it is amiss to toss things away,
You must let go to stay afloat.
For some do not see this trouble until it is far too late.
And what is worse than sinking before reaching your destination?
Ah, years it will take, but the time will come,
You will come upon a wide open sea,
No turns or stones to bare any weight,
And that is when it is safe to dock
On the beach with sand so soft and sky ever blue.
You will stay here to relax your sore muscles from working the tiller.
Long years of sailing--
You reached your destination--
You are
At peace.