Random Journey

My story is not so different - words, moments etched in time.
I retrace my journey, not for I have reached the end -
but because it has been interrupted by circumstance.

I stand at another crossroad, one I approach with caution -
not out of fear, but out of contemplation. 
It is as if I am looking back at my own footprints engraved in the sand,
growing ever so faint from the wind and the rain that has washed over them. 

I welcome this gift of reflection,
this time to ponder the moments that have passed,
trying not to focus on what has been lost,
but what has been gained.

I have not always made the best of choices standing in the turmoil of the moment. 
My inner voice is not always calm - my feet are not always still. 
I want to run and hide from the thoughts that cloud my judgment -
these stumbling blocks that fill me with hopelessness. 
I want to lock them inside a vault and toss away the key.

I find myself standing in the middle of the road - looking both ways, as I was taught,
not wanting to go back - but feeling unsure of my next step. 
I must trust the ground beneath me - as I take one step at a time,
one foot in front of the other -
for this uneasiness that I feel does not affect only me,
it touches the lives of those around me.  ~  msc