Sometimes it’s good for me to know my place in life. To get a sense of where I stand. I guess like most people I can be guilty of over playing things. Sometimes under playing them. Misinterpreting or even missing clear signposts. Going down a path which is either wrong or just ultimately a dead end. The path could be a project, a relationship, a friendship, work, a dream, life in general. But every so often something happens that finally helps ground me. Get a better bearing of where I am. Shining a light on the direction I am heading. It could be a conversation, some written words, an action, an event or even an outcome. Doesn’t really matter what the source is, it’s just good to have that moment of clarity.

I think I’ve had one of those moments of clarity over the last few days. Still trying to process it. But it feels like I’ve been potentially heading down a wrong path. Definitely time to think and assess.

I remember climbing in Scotland when I was in my early thirties. I was climbing alone and trying a route which was just about within my capabilities. I was sticking to what I thought was a promising route to the top. I missed (or chose to miss) so many signs clearly indicating I was heading the wrong way. After hours of hard work I came to a dead end. Light was starting to fade and I had no choice but to abandon and go down. Never did go back to re-climb that rock face. Such a waste of beautiful climbing conditions. Still kick myself for ignoring the clear signals that day. Less stubborn, more aware and I would have easily made it to the top. That was probably my one and only shot at that climb. But what was ironic was that at the same time I was in a job that seemed promising. But again I missed the signposts. A few months later I suddenly realised that I was at a dead end. The dream job was a bit of a disaster. It felt like months of effort had been wasted.

One day I might start to open my eyes to the signposts. They are there if I just take the time to look.

J

57 thoughts on “Signposts”

  3. I have missed plenty of signposts. But then I have never run out of options or available routes. I might miss one right turn, but I go on confident that there will be more right turns ahead. I do sometimes wonder, what if I had gone down that other route? But I try to think about making the most of my current route and feel some anticipation of choices ahead.

    Is me trying to tag onto your metaphor making any sense at all? Or am I speaking in riddles?

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      1. …and accepting that maybe there were opportunities we could have taken…or gone for…but perhaps we were not ready…or perhaps they would have led to dead ends (we will never be sure because we didn’t take those routes), However, there will be opportunities. Better ones than those behind us.

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  10. I’ve completely ignored signs myself… landed in horrible situations. But I dragged myself out and moved on. Makes for some great stories and life lessons too. Maybe we’re supposed to take the “hard road” and those signs are magic and only visible in hindsight?

    I kept thinking “signpost up ahead… next stop, The Twilight Zone”😂
    I’m feeling silly this morning 💌💌

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  11. I think sometimes God allows us to miss some of those signposts so that we learn to read the signs? Then when it really counts we can get it right. We learn so much from those wrong paths. They help us to see the better path.

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  12. This is beautiful! People can go down a path that seems so right at the time and then look back and realize how clear the signs were indicating another path was optimal. However, I feel that things are always clearer in hindsight and I think that’s why those experiences (that seem as if they were so obvious) were meant to happen to provide clarity and confirmation in our choice to redirect. I think this is what makes the journey so important. God bless!

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  13. For me the signs I have missed have been signs of another persons lack of character. I started realizing that my children’s autism was able to separate the creeps from the genuine. There is an old story by George MacDonald called The Princess and Curdie. In it Curdie is instructed to hold his hands in a magical fire. It’s painful but afterwards he has a special gift. Whenever he grasps someone’s hand he can tell if they are a good and kind person or a “beast”. I think we learn so much from those dead ends. I just wish I didn’t require so many of these lessons, lol. May you find yourself selecting more and more good paths in the future!

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      1. It’s funny how hard we are on ourselves. I try to remember to be as patient with myself as I would be to my child who has autism. I’m more like the people in public places mumbling “what’s his problem!?” Today I will consciously tell myself I am doing amazing!

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      3. I can’t help but add that I think the ones who love us who we are temporarily separated from by death need us to remember them by treating ourselves as they would treat us if they could speak to us instead of just watch from afar. I’ll stop there before I have to defend why I still believe in fairytales, lol.

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  14. Perhaps the real signpost was the experience. Perhaps you were never meant to reach that mountain top but you were meant to make this experience for a later situation… have you ever thought of that? Don’t blame yourself. Perhaps you had to go on in that job in order to learn some things you would not have if you had left earlier or had not taken that job at all…

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  15. I don’t think any journey is really a waste of time because, in spite of the frustration at having taken a wrong turn, you will have seen something you might not have and you will have learned something. It may not seem important at the time, but in the end it’s all part of the puzzle of our lives. I’ve done a few side trips myself!

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  17. You are not alone. We all have at one time or another ignored signs in relationships, jobs, or friendships, attempting to make them fit,so we don’t have to start over. But, as always happens, the end of the road comes, a dead end, and we feel we have wasted time. But I have found that the lessons we learn about others and ourselves in those painful moments when we feel a little stupid are responsible for helping us find our way to where Godcwas leading us all the while. I don’t fear detours anymore,

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