Lens-Artists Challenge #12 – PATH

“Relax, breathe deep and trust the path you’re on.”

Lalah Delia

BEACH PATH

Having recently spent many hours glued to the weather channel tracking the path of Hurricane Florence, it seemed appropriate that this week’s challenge should be Path. Your path may be literal, such as I’ve illustrated in today’s images, or figurative, giving us a glimpse into the direction in which your life is moving.

CART PATH AMONG THE OAKS

“If you light a lamp for someone it will also brighten your path.”

Buddhist Proverb

Personally, my life’s path has been nearly as unpredictable as that of Hurricane Florence – a perfect example of the old adage “Man plans, God laughs.” Rather than bore you with details, I’ll simply say that early on I was taught that if we work hard and do our best, things will work out in the end. Somehow, though not necessarily according to plan 😊, for me they always have.

GOTCHA!

“If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take.”

Lewis Carroll

Certainly, luck has a great deal to do with it. I was fortunate to have been born into a supportive family in a stable country during a time of peace and prosperity. I never worried where my next meal might come from nor whether I might become a victim of the ravages of war or the whims of a ruling despot. The choices along my path seem far less challenging when viewed from a global perspective.

GARDEN PATH

“The presence of a path doesn’t necessarily mean the existence of a destination.”

Craig D. Lounsbrough

As another stroke of pure luck, my degree in languages was a primary target for recruiters in the technology business before there was any such thing as a computer science major. Who’d have thought that someone who once said “no one will ever buy a computer in a retail store” (yep, that was me, DUH) would end up with a career in computers and networking. Go figure.

BOARDS TO THE BEACH

“There are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths.”

Mark Nepo

Finally, a long term North-easterner, I would never have imagined living in the south. My husband and I have now been here for 20 years. I’ve learned to love hot, humid summers (he hasn’t), fried chicken, and sand in my shoes. Along with the things I love I’ve learned to anticipate, follow, and despise tropical storms. My heart goes out to those affected by Hurricane Florence – may their paths lead to recovery very soon.

Like many others I’m sure, my path thus far has been filled with twists and turns I’d never have anticipated. Fortunately, along the way I’ve learned to roll with the punches and so far it’s been a wonderful ride. Here’s to wherever our paths lead next 😀.

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE?

There were many terrific responses to Amy’s “Small Is Beautiful” challenge last week, thanks to all who participated!

Both Sue of The Nature of things and Nora of Photos for you shared their beautiful new grandbabies
Gina of Photography in Pearls showed us the magic of Photoshop for creating small wonders

To learn more about how to participate in our challenge, click here. Be sure to link to this post and to TAG YOUR POST LENS-ARTISTS. Finally, tune in next Saturday when Patti of Pilotfish will host our next challenge.