December 2, 2020
Right off, NO this has zero to do with any election. Done.
If you wander in the woods long enough oohing and ahhing (awwing??) at the sights to behold, it can be a very pleasant journey! That can turn quickly into fear and panic when you realize you don’t know where you are or how to get out because you didn’t pay attention along the way.
This is more so for those younger folks or people who haven’t hit any sort of rock bottom. Maybe the ones that are feeling bullet-proof and lulled into a false sense of security by an uber wealthy coddling society.
This story plays out over and over in my office. Different characters and different forests, but usually the same theme to the script. Almost always the person asking for help thinks that somehow suddenly, if by magic or alien abduction, they were transported to the spot that made them lost. Something really bad happens and BOOM, I am now lost.
No, you started getting lost the moment you failed to pay close attention to where you were to ensure you didn’t get lost. It’s ok to go somewhere unknown, maybe with no trail to follow or someplace that may even be dangerous. Prepare for the journey and pay attention so you can get out without the lions, tigers and bears having you as a snack.
Pay attention to the signs. For those folks who end up getting lost forever, they ignored the signs so much that they got lost forever. Pain is a good directional sign. Like a Jay in the treetop calling, there might be danger around. Listen to those around you calling out to you. This may be a bit gross but look for scat (poo) along your journey. Bunnies are the size of a half a loaf of bread. poo is proportional. Coyotes and other predators have fur in their poo. Pay attention to the poo you see in your life’s journey. People who destroy other people will leave their droppings behind. Scat identification isn’t fun or pleasant, but it can save your life.
Feelings are not great decision makers. The scenery along your walk in the woods can be amazing and even thrilling! Too happy and you forget to look for the path you walked and signs. Too scared and you may start to run or dart, somewhere. Tough to see branches and holes when you are running. If you catch a branch to the head, you may put out an eye and then sight is difficult at best. Break an ankle and the bear can just casually walk to its supper. Happy feelings are wonderful, but they push out reason and logic. Things or people that make us feel good aren’t always good for us. Predators count on their prey to be distracted or not paying attention. Panic in life probably means that you are not prepared for the moment. Many lessons just in that sentence. Fear due to something bad happening can make you want to run. Run away from something or run too something. I doubt you know where you are going, and you probably skipped over a WHOLE bunch or signs and perhaps didn’t see the exit ramps and the people yelling for you to get off as you shot by. Running gets you tired and more paranoid and more scared. Too much running and you can be culled from the safety of the herd. Easy prey.
Predators like easy prey over difficult prey.
One of the mistakes that people make is paying attention to only the living. We look around and see the umpteen times that our friends made it through the gauntlet. Maybe we have had a few close calls ourselves. We begin to think that we will always make it and keep walking down dangerous paths. You don’t hear from those who didn’t make it. They don’t get to say that their choices were wrong and “Turn back while you can!” Often, we hear of stories, but rarely do we see firsthand those who didn’t make it.
Freedom is great if you have it.
Living life to the fullest is wonderful if you are still living. Sometimes, that “to the fullest” jeopardizes the freedom piece. Double whammy ahead!
— R. A. Grier