Each of us have our own journey to make. How
long? How far? I don’t know. Sometimes the road is easy to walk and I’m
singing and dancing as I merrily prance along the path. Yet other times the road
meanders and I wonder when I’ll ever get to the end. But I faithfully and
painstakingly plough along step after step after step. Then there are the
crossroads, when left or right seems to look the same. And I pause to observe
which way the people around me head. It helps, when they generally tend to take
the same path, and I’ll casually follow along. But when I get to the junction
and no one’s in sight, that’s tough. I stand there long enough to decide
which way to go, before cautiously taking small steps in that direction. It’s
even more difficult during the times when everyone seems to be heading one way,
and deep down I know that’s the wrong way to go. So I stop, and I wait, and I
think. Then I list all the fears that could materialise should I go the wrong
way alone. But when I finally choose what’s right to me, it’s a deep sigh of
relief. And I know that nothing can shake my confidence in what I choose.
There are times when I get bored of
travelling alone, and long to have a companion to journey with. There are those
who come along and stay for but a brief spell. These are people I’m happy to
meet, but am also able to bid farewell with relative ease. Then there are others
who comes along, and linger for awhile; long enough for me to enjoy a relative
state of closeness. But our paths diverge and I reluctantly part with these
people I’ve come to grow fond of. More painful to say goodbye to are the ones
who seem to journey alongside with me for a prolonged period of time. It’s
almost as if they’d stay with me throughout my journey. But the day comes when
we suddenly realise we’re walking in different directions. It’s then that I
find it so hard to let go, of these people who’ve become so dear to me. Of
course there’re the special few who will journey alongside with me all the
way. I search high and low for such people, and try as I might, they’re so
elusive to find. But the ones I least seem to consider, are the ones who’ll
stick by me through thick and thin.
Each of us have a journey to make. I’ve
come to realise it’s not how long or how far the journey is. What’s
important is how we travel along the journey; the choices we make and how we
stand by them. I’ve also realised that it’s important who we journey with
and how far they’ll come alongside with us. Not the beautiful, hi-bye people
who stay but a brief spell with us, but the faithful ones who’ll go with us no
matter where, no matter what.
I am on a journey. I know not where I’m heading. But I know One who’ll be with me all the way.
This
article was written by Mark Lim Shan-Loong on
20th June 2003.
Words from the Heart
