Day 62: Where are the breadcrumbs when you need them?

Although it seemed like a great idea to leave breadcrumbs to mark their path, Hansel and Gretel soon learned that their method was unsound and impractical. What do you do when your path totally disappears? It’s unsettling when your feet don’t know where to step; when your path is uncertain and disappearing before your very eyes.

We all fall into this uncertainty once in a while; some more than others but what do you do when it happens? How do you control your anxiety, your pounding heart when you feel so lost? I experienced this recently and it’s a dreadful sensation.  I have a friend who is experiencing it now. We probably all do, even if we are unaware.

Herodotus, the ancient Greek philosopher, said that you can never put your foot into the same river at the same point ever in life and maybe we should listen to him. Maybe there is a reason that God instructed the birds to eat the breadcrumbs dropped by Hansel and Gretel; maybe the message should be that we must never try to retrace our steps but simply move forward.

There is surely a comfort in repeating our recognized path; worn into a comfortable, familiar, safe and organized way. It’s easy to argue the safety of remaining where we are; even when we aren’t really safe at all but fearful of change.  It’s easy to keep our eyes focused so we don’t stray but it is the right thing to do after all?

Joni Mitchell said that “God often underthrows” so we have to reach to obtain (I know I am really paraphrasing here) but why do the challenges in life come when we are so vulnerable.  Human beings are emotional creatures who are often unable or unwilling to recognize our own frailties. Being vulnerable is not so bad as long as we are willing to share this characteristic openly and honestly and there’s the rub.

We all have a tendency to hide when we are weak and exposed. Most animals hide to lick their wounds to ensure that no other animal will take advantage of this disadvantage and capitalize on it but when we do so, we also cut off the help we could get, the help we surely need to heal.

This is for you MC. As a caregiver personality, you have trouble letting others care for you.  Your path has recently changed dramatically, as has mine.  My equilibrium has returned because I allowed others to guide me to a new path; to care for me in my damaged state. My vulnerability became a strength not a weakness and I know how. What I gained was not just a new path but the knowledge that no matter which path I took, I wasn’t alone, my struggle was armed with arms of care, love and support and that is what life is all about. Know this and you’ll never worry about finding the breadcrumbs again.