It was an oddly placed sign, if only because the message was practically redundant. No stopping was allowed. I do not know where one would have stopped, given we were on the side of a busy street. I could not see a reason to stop, given the sand in every direction. With these factors playing out, I wondered aloud if anyone noticed, or if they noticed, paid attention to the sign’s instruction.
Without attention, even the obvious is routinely ignored. There are natural warning signs I have come to trust in my life. Without setting aside time to reflect on them and embrace their purpose with a fresh heart, as life passes, I find myself looking right through them as if they were not there. Whatever importance I placed on each is lost due to a lack of care. I know they were important. “Even so, the excitement died quickly, the throngs of people soon lost interest. Can’t you see it’s only smoke? And spitting into the wind?” (Ecclesiastes 4.16). The questions haunt me: what is real, what is useful, what is it that guides my life?
Signs have context, even when I cannot see it in the moment. In the longer story, I imagine buildings, people walking, and bus stops. The role of the sign begins to take shape with the clarity and purpose of those who designed the road. There is an opportunity to use what life gives me as input to the lessons I can use for my growth. I realise there can be a delay – what I see today may be useful in a week or even a year. The challenge I wrestle with is a simple one. Will I permit myself to use the highs and the lows, the pain and joy, as a teaching foundation for my better self? When I open myself up to the possibilities, Life begins to instruct, guide, and challenge me.
Life is a journey of awareness, learning, and opportunities to grow. The resources for a better me are there. What happens next is with me.
