Often, the path to illuminating one’s life’s direction doesn’t lead through glamorous avenues but through a sidetrack.
Winters are no longer what they used to be—there’s barely enough snow to sprinkle the sidewalks, and the only frost we’ve seen is on Santa Claus. Contrary to popular belief, I think snow is not just a form of precipitation. In our lives, it is a natural decoration for our yards, cities, and surroundings, playing both a biological and a psychosocial role. For me, impeccably decorated cities during winter without a white blanket look cheap and laughable.
The winter air has also changed. Above-average temperatures and shallow air pressure prevent the pollution from winter fireplaces from rising. Ventilating our living spaces is out of the question unless we want to enhance our homes with the stinging scent of smoke.
Truth be told, when it’s cold outside, we need our comfort zone the most. However, when faced with unseasonably warm winter days, we are ready for a change.
The first decision we make in urban settings is to step outside for a walk.
Family weekend walks can be lovely and relaxing events, except when they manifest as existential escapism—a way to forget that we lack money or time for expensive trips, or to suppress the fact that work, school, and other obligations await us tomorrow.
In any case, longer walks are beneficial for everyone. There is something naturally refreshing about replacing screen time with the greenery in the city’s well-kept areas.
The main problem with urban walking paths on sunny weekend days is the crowd. Naturally, everyone has the same idea at the same time for the same reason—to enjoy the only path our urban environment offers. Walks then turn into constant sidestepping, bumping, halting conversations, and facing or avoiding glances.
Here, we make the second decision—to go as far away from the busy paths and waterfronts to clear our minds. We venture at least to the end of the trail, as we can afford this exhibitionism on weekends. Typically, such a walk leads to the end of the paved path, where everyone turns back, creating a circular route like ants. The ants, however, in their military-like marches, are probably better organized.
At the end of the trail, it’s time for the third decision—do we turn back and continue the usual route, or perhaps explore that walking path that continues straight, leading into the unknown, disappearing into the grass and scattered bushes?
When we find ourselves at the boundary that separates the conventional, comfortable path from a new and unknown trail, do we turn back or go further into the uncharted?
All Conventional Paths Lead to the Edge of Comfort. What’s Next?
Continuing down an uncharted and evidently unpopular path is an uncomfortable endeavor for most, driven by fear of the unknown. The experience we have at this edge of comfort tells us about who we are and how we make decisions.
Does that unknown path attract you? Do you stop to see what lies there? Do you dare to take a few steps down that unknown route? Or is your motivation to keep your new sneakers clean overwhelming?
At the threshold of the unknown, many people light up with the thought “Wrong Way!” Beyond the conventional lies uncertainty, perhaps even danger, a dead end, or a path with no return. On the other hand, maybe that unknown path leads to a beautiful hidden place in the forest or by the river. Perhaps it’s a shortcut to the heavenly oasis with the clean air we’ve always wanted.
All our paths are intertwined with sidetracks. Many of us strive to ignore them. Others are completely blind or see only a meter ahead.
A sidetrack can be defined as a wrong path. Do you ever willingly choose the wrong path?
You could say I am well-acquainted with life’s sidetracks. I am one of those who not only like to explore side roads but prefer them. Because I believe every path we illuminate in life carries new potential.
For me, the possibilities of what lies on the unknown path are too great to turn back to conventional ignorance. Some of my strongest life lessons have come from dead ends, and some of the most valuable treasures I’ve found were in all sorts of hidden corners.
The Choice of Path Is Always Before Us. In Life, As in a Walk.
In life, as during a winter walk, decisions to step out of the comfort zone require considering the sidetrack and often making uncomfortable choices.
Will we choose only the safe direction on our path, or will we have the courage to cross the edge of comfort? That depends solely on us.
The destination of every sidetrack is something we cannot know in advance. The decisions are always ours to make. Sometimes it is useful to listen to others who have already walked that path to tell us what lies beyond the edge, but it is equally valid to muster the courage for our own journey. Perhaps a shortcut to success lies ahead, or maybe a path where one can easily get lost.
Some find the right path on the sidetrack, while others get lost on the conventional path.
In any case, the farther you go, explore, and check, the sweeter the return home feels, filled with fresh information and a desire to discover new things.
Indeed, sidetracks are everywhere, endlessly. Many don’t even need to go for a walk to end up on a sidetrack right there in their bed, next to the screen. Whether we choose to walk or stay where we are, it is essential to know we are on the path of life, which constantly opens new trails.
Go, walk, experience, embrace the unknown, and surrender to the beauty of uncertainty. For it is all your path. Some choose to travel only the conventional lit trail on their journey. For others, the sidetrack is the standard route where the air is always less polluted, and the endless potential of the new is ever-present.
Following your path is an authentic adventure, reflecting the ability to handle Heraclitus’s constant change, where sidetracks, the meanders of human destinies, and the dead ends of various choices always intertwine. Embracing all the sidetracks of your life journey is an extraordinary endeavor. Indeed, all paths lie before us; we only need to dare to take the one we like the most.
But in any case, every path is yours, and you carry it within you. Embrace the sidetrack, for there isn’t one that isn’t etched into you. Only the one we haven’t yet acknowledged.
Indeed, winters are no longer what they used to be. The snow on city streets is left in our memories or in nostalgic anticipation. The air is not what it was. Even TV shows are not what they used to be. It seems that we, as a collective, have beautifully stepped onto a sidetrack. The question is, does an oasis of prosperity or an endless dead end await us at the end?
