I believe that we all come into this life with two gifts. One gift we are given and the other we are to give. Today we talk about the former.
We might agree that we can’t choose the scenario we are born into. Although believing that we choose our parents, perhaps we can to some extent – that’s definitely another post.
We can however choose our responses to our circumstances, our attitudes, and how we show up in the world each day.
I believe the first gift we are given is free choice.
10% of life is what happens to you,
90% is how you respond to it
The total sum of every choice combined is what shapes us into the person we become and ultimately who we will be remembered for.
Every individual comes into our life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. There are no coincidences. Things do not happen randomly. Nothing takes place at the wrong time.
I love the analogy of life being a train journey. We first board the train when we are born. We are dependent on others for our every need, including our ticket. As the train starts moving, time passes and we begin to grow into ourselves. We become responsible for our own choices and ultimately our own journey.
Along the way, there are delays, accidents, surprises, and shocks. Some of these will translate into moments of great joy and other periods of extreme sadness.
At each of the stops, we are presented with opportunities (or choices) to experience a different ride for the next few stations.
Some of the people that board the train will become very important to us. They may be our siblings or partners, our close connections, or our chosen family.
Some travellers will trick themselves into believing they travel alone and no one else is on the train with them. They pretend not to see anyone and won’t acknowledge or assist those seated around them. They continually move seats, even carriages, and often feign being ‘busy’.
Some travellers get on and off so quickly they hardly leave a sign that they even crossed our path. While others will leave an everlasting impression, no matter how short the ride.
For every single person we encounter on our journey, no matter who and for how long, we have a choice as to how we interact with them.
We can choose to treat them with compassion and show love and understanding. We can encourage them with kind gestures or simply meet them with a smile.
We all travel alone, on our own individual journeys, but we all ultimately travel together.
Each of us is filled with our own hopes and dreams and we all experience challenges and heartbreak at various points of our journey.
Every single one of us will all have to say goodbye to one or more of our travel companions along the way … sometimes even the one sitting right next to us.
Perhaps the biggest mystery of our train journey is that we don’t know when our last stop will come. Neither do we know the last stop of our fellow travellers.
At the end of our ride, we will all be carrying baggage, none of which we had when we were born and first boarded the train. All of this baggage will have been contributed to us by our companions and we will have contributed to theirs.
As I write this post, I think of my own train ride and that of my fellow travellers.
I am reminded of the ones that chose to sit next to me and the many who have shared parts of my journey… and still do.
I think of the people whose path I have crossed, who have enriched my life and who have brought me great joy… and I remember those who have made it more difficult.
Like others, my train has also gone through several dark tunnels that felt like they went on forever.
Yet I am grateful for these scary and painful parts of my journey. I know that each of these tunnels played a part in reminding me of my gift – my gift of free choice and the freedom to choose who I was going to be despite the darkness.
I smile as I remember one very special travel companion who sat next to me for what seemed like such a short time.
How grateful I am that I took the time to chat with and get to know them.
How grateful I am that I made them a priority and was not in too much of a hurry.
How blessed I feel that they brought me such joy and enriched my life so deeply, as a result of our ride together.
Our journeys are all different. In length and in nature.
The kind of travel companion you will be, is up to you. It’s your gift. It’s a choice.
Every so often on a journey, we will pass another train. And as we stare out the window we might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a person staring back at us. Eyes will meet and for a fleeting moment, there is a sense of recognition and familiarity with this stranger. The encounter might last only seconds but we are moved and often changed forever by having had the experience.
To Benny, the best travel buddy ever! Thank you with all my heart for boarding my train.
Much Love
Dalya xx 💙