Leave A Path - Make A Trail

Tonight, Princess Five had one of her last performances at a basketball game for cheer. She isn't sure she will have time to do cheer next year so I want to make every performance I can as it may be the last time I get to see that dance. 

I still have my mother and every day is a new adventure. I thought she was doing better tonight so I left her for the fifteen minutes it would take to get to the school, video halftime and return home. When I arrived home, she was no where to be seen. Now it was still quite early and if she goes to bed early, I get NO sleep as she is up in the night and early morning banging doors, toilets, knocking on my door etc. 
 
She apparently isn't liking the shelf of movies she is now watching since she has watched every video on my three shelves worth of "Chick Ficks". I am into the "adventure" movies such as "The Mummy" and she keeps turning them off and if I am not within three minutes of the tv turning off, she puts herself to bed, stripped of clothes and in her nighty. I usually have my sister watch her for the games but it is a 20 minute drive for her and I am gone for 15 minutes so it seems silly to have her come and my mother was doing better today so I was hoping it would be "OK" to leave her for those 15 minutes. It isn't like she would do anything to hurt herself but she doesn't like being alone. I was actually on the phone asking my sister to come on Thursday to sit when I arrived home. I was in the process of telling her mom was doing better today when I came in and saw she had put herself to bed.

These are the things on my mind as I rush to get to the school to watch my Princess Five dance. I scraped the car and shoveled snow today so I could rush out when needed without having to do those things and not having to leave my mother for long. 

When I got outside, the inside of the car was frosted, the outside was fine! The antenna on her car is loose and lets water into the trunk causing moisture build up in the car and thus, I couldn't hurry to the school until the window melted. When I got to the school, there was no parking in the lot and so I had to park down the street in a service area. 

When I got out of the car and started walking towards the parking lot, I would have to walk through the snow which is deep and there isn't grass under it, it is a rock bed. Or, I would have to take the time to walk all the way to the street, into the street to the parking lot and then into the school. I was worried with the time it took to get the window clear, I would miss the halftime routine. Through the snow was my choice.  

As I walked towards the "short cut" I realized that someone had made a trail and several people had followed in the original footprints. I carefully started walking in the now, well used foot prints. None of the other people stepped out of the original prints and neither did I. We all stepped carefully in the prints of the original hiker! 

As I was walking that path, I thought of a quote that Princess Two has on her wall by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." At that moment, I was grateful for the person who made that path. 

I pondered on how much time I saved following in that path and how I knew that there weren't any obstacles as there would have been "fall" marks in the snow if they hit a rough patch. As you can see by my foot picture, I was prepared for snow as I had on wool boots which kept my feet warm but if I had trekked into that deep snow without a path, I would have gotten snow in my boots. They also would have gotten wet and I don't like that as they take some time to dry out when they get wet so I try to keep them dry so I can use them each time I go out and I won't put on wet boots so keeping them dry is my goal. 

On the way back, I pondered on how others can "clear" a path for us. I LOVED that the walks were shoveled. It made it easy for me to navigate my way in the dark and cold. Sometimes there are unseen hazards like black ice that can cause problems if we aren't sure footed and careful where we step. 

Princess had a cheer competition this past Saturday and we drove home in snow and ice about 30 mph for most of the way home. We didn't go to the school to pick up her car as it was snowing and we were tired and it was VERY late. We had some commitments on Sunday as a friends was arriving home from her mission so by the time we got home Sunday, it was about 3 p.m. 

I took Princess over to the school parking lot and it wasn't plowed and there was about a foot 1/2 snow in the parking lot. I was a bit worried to go in but we could see two people digging her car out so we ventured in. One of the other cheerleaders and her mother cleaned off the three cars that were still in the parking lot so the other girls wouldn't have that chore. I was so grateful as I had changed into my sweats thinking I was just dropping her off. I actually had her drive the better car and I drove hers as I was worried we wouldn't be able to get out of the parking lot. 

We were both able to get out but I thought about what a wonderful example that mother was to her daughter as they cleaned off all the other girls cars together! I am so grateful for their kindness. 

When I got back through the steps on my return trip, the trail stopped as someone had parked their car in the path. The snow was up to their bumper and I was surprised they would park there, but for a few steps, I had to create my own path. It wasn't quite as deep there and it was only a few steps until I was to an area that was plowed. 

Still, the other thought I had was how dark and lonely that path was. There were no lights on the path. My flash lit up the prints so I took one without the flash for you to see how dark the prints were and how dark the area was without the flash. It is near the top. 

Sometimes, we can leave a path for others who are following in the dark behind us. We may be in the light when we make the path but others may be following later in the dark blindly so finding a path was VERY wonderful to me as you can clearly see how dark the area was without my flash in the first and second picture. 

I am grateful for those who have gone before me and created paths in my world and set up situation in my life for me to follow. I know the pioneers, pilgrims and Pocahontas are all in my family history line and each made a new path in their own life which in someway created my life! 

It makes me ponder about what I am doing in my life to create good paths for my children and grandchildren to follow. I think I may need to reevaluate what I am doing with my life in some areas to clear some paths so their life paths may be easier. I also want to make sure that whatever path they are on, they have the proper tools and equipment to make their journey safely. Just like I had my coat and boots, I want them to have what they need in their life path!

I realized tonight that sometimes we are the one leaving a path and making a trail and other times, we are the one following. At times, I am grateful to be in either position. I hope when I need to be the one making the trail that I have the strength and determination needed to leave a path that makes it easier for others to follow safely!