Taking the Dirt Road

You've heard the John Muir quote, "of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."

The older I get, the more I have tried to abide by this sage advice.

On my journey through life, there have been some pretty big bumps. Hell, sometimes the road just blew up. Divorce, illnesses, heartbreak. All the big ones  I've started over more times than I cared to, but usually things have worked out pretty well. 

Everyone has tough times and ways of surviving the chaos of life's challenges. For me, it is writing. I have been journaling off and on since I was in high school. As I look over the last ten years of my writings, the happiest entries are those of time spent with my two beautiful daughters

Peppered throughout the pages were also favorite quotes that inspired.

"Life is a journey. It hurts too much." -- from the film 'Garden State'

The written words of others energize me. Music does as well. During some of my darkest times, they both have lifted me up.  My memory has gotten so heavy I can't think straight. So writing those memories down helps.

And reading them later on, I realize I have survived much and am still standing. Even after the blast in the road.

Joni Mitchell once said, "Bad fortune changed the course of my destiny."

So what if my destiny changes. My road blows up. I've decided to take the dirt path. The scenery is better and the ground feels much better beneath my feet.

Jada with some of my journals