I'm not feeling very festive this New Year's Eve. Nick is out to sea and won't be home for a few more months, so it's just the kids and me this year.
All I really have to say this year is that there are many paths up a mountain. Some are paved, some are rocky, and most of them have some twists and turns. Not everyone can, or wants to, take the same path that everyone else is taking. Not everyone even wants to climb the mountain. Some people just want to stand at the bottom and gaze up at it, enjoying its beauty before they move on to their next adventure in life. Maybe I prefer the weeping willows that are on my path, as opposed to the evergreens that are on yours. Does that mean that my path isn't as beautiful as yours? To you, it might mean that, if you prefer evergreens. I think all the paths are beautiful, but I happen to prefer the one I'm on. That does not mean I'm on the wrong path, just a different one. And just because I'm on the path with the weeping willows doesn't mean that everyone else loses their right to choose their own path. I'm sure there's someone out there who prefers the path adorned with Charlie Brown Christmas trees. That path is fine too. By not accepting the fact that there is more than just your own path, you will alienate every single person that happens to be on one of those other paths. Maybe that's already happened.
You can take whichever path up the mountain suits you best, but if you steal my GPS and try to reroute me, all that's going to do is piss me off, and I'll just end up throwing the damn thing out and figuring it out for myself. Continue on your path. I have no problem with your path, because it's the right one for you. But do not treat others' paths as if they don't exist, or as if they are inferior. No one's paths are inferior to anyone else's. They're all beautiful in their own way, and they all deserve a caring, loving hand to help them grow and flourish. Don't let my weeping willows wither and die because you're too arrogant to admit they exist. Love the path you're on, but acknowledge that other paths that help people become better versions of themselves, even though they're different from your own path, are still beautiful. That's all. Just love people, regardless of what path they're on, and don't bully them because they chose differently than you.
Peace and love.
