Weekly Photo Challenge: A PATH

“By persisting in your path, though you forfeit the little, you gain the great.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Weekly Photo Challenge: A PATH – The paths are many, the destination is the same…

Weekly Photo Challenge: A PATH – The paths are many, the destination is the same…

If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads. Anatole France
As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives. Henry David Thoreau
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson

This year was a year of endings, changes, challenges, and magical moments that reminded me of the resilience of the human heart. We all walk a path in this lifetime, and there are roadblocks, mountains and valleys along the way. We have periods of respite that give us room to breathe and regroup. As we fail, win or miss important turns along the road, our experiences either strengthen our resolve to keep going or they help us decide to follow a different path. Like it or not, we are all on a journey to ourselves and we might as well buckle up and enjoy the path. Sometimes, the path leads nowhere, and at other times, it leads us to a place where we get to shine. Along the way, we might see signposts if we stay present.  The collage above shows a number of pathways. The center photo was taken at Storm King Art Center, an outdoor art installation museum, in Orange County, New York. The others are photos of the Croton Aqueduct at different points and times of the year; I took the shots at different spots on my walks. May our path be clearer with fewer obstacles in 2017.

More Below!

“Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.” Oprah Winfrey

Weekly Photo Challenge: A PATH – The paths are many, the destination is the same…

Weekly Photo Challenge: A PATH – The paths are many, the destination is the same…

Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley. Theodore Roethke
Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not cliches but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path. Phillip Sweet
Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. Henry David Thoreau

As I look back on this year, I am grateful that I took a chance and said yes to other work related opportunities. I’m glad I said yes to new paths that opened for me and, even though, I had no idea where some of them would lead, I followed the path… In 2016, I found myself following a completely different path than I imagined for myself but, I am grateful that I didn’t give up. I’ve learned a lot about being present and staying flexible, and I am stronger for it… What about you?

THE PATH THAT LEADS NOWHERE by Corinne Roosevelt Robinson via POTW.org

THERE’S a path that leads to Nowhere
In a meadow that I know,
Where an inland island rises
And the stream is still and slow;
There it wanders under willows,
And beneath the silver green
Of the birches’ silent shadows
Where the early violets lean.

Other pathways lead to Somewhere,
But the one I love so well
Has no end and no beginning—
Just the beauty of the dell,
Just the wind-flowers and the lilies
Yellow-striped as adder’s tongue,
Seem to satisfy my pathway
As it winds their scents among.

There I go to meet the Springtime,
When the meadow is aglow,
Marigolds amid the marshes,—
And the stream is still and slow.
There I find my fair oasis,
And with care-free feet I tread
For the pathway leads to Nowhere,
And the blue is overhead!

All the ways that lead to Somewhere
Echo with the hurrying feet
Of the Struggling and the Striving,
But the way I find so sweet
Bids me dream and bids me linger,
Joy and Beauty are its goal,—
On the path that leads to Nowhere
I have sometimes found my soul!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Holidays!

This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Weekly Photo Challenge Post: – PATH –  For this photo challenge, show us what path means to you. Consider the journey you’ve taken this year (or where you hope to go in 2017) and share a snapshot of this personal path, whether figurative or literal. A path can look like the one in the photo above, but it can also be a glimpse into your interests and passions or personal and professional goals. We look forward to seeing the various paths you take.

Have a relaxing weekend!

Positive Motivation Tip: Follow the path that speaks to your heart.

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All other Photos from my personal collection.

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet