Heroes Not Zombies

It’s a funny phrase that, “make your way”. When I go from one place to another it doesn’t occur to me that I’m “making” anything. Simply moving from here to there doesn’t seem to be a creative process.

But look at this path. Isn’t it beautiful? It takes imagination, creativity and effort to make a path like this. I took this photo in Japan, and you’d have a pretty good chance of guessing that I think. Isn’t that amazing too? That the look of a path can convey such a strong sense of place and culture.

That gets me thinking about the vast web of drovers paths which crisscross the wilder parts of Scotland. It makes me think of all the pilgrims paths which wind their way across Europe towards Santiago in northern Spain. It makes me think of the traces of Roman roads which can be found across most of Western Europe. And I’m sure you’ll start to think about ancient ways wherever you live.

But we “make our way” in other ways too. We find a path through life, or rather, we create a path through life. I’m a big fan of stories and have always been keen to hear a patient’s unique story. However, the metaphor of the path is an equally good one which can help to illuminate how someone got to where they are now.

When you reflect on your own life, what paths do you see? Who did you create them with? What stepping stones did you lay?