This entry is intended for only one of you. You will know who you are. For the rest of you who don't know what's going on... my apologies.

Traveling through life is like walking through unknown mountains.

You have only a vague idea what is on the other end of the walk, and no real idea at all what your path will be like. But every step you take affects your ability to walk another path. Each choice changes your life.

Some paths are easier than others. Some start easy, and then turn really hard. Others are the reverse.

Some are dead ends.

Some paths look easy, but are actually difficult.

Each path offers different views, different experiences. On one path you may be able to watch your daughter when she first discovers wind.

But on another path, she may have made that discovery while her "fun" relatives were watching her. And you would never have known.

If we were alone in these mountains, this would never really be a problem. It is when we are not alone, when we see others walking an easier path, or even driving it in their free Ford Explorer, that we realize how hard our trail has become.

Most paths are not irreversible. If the route you have taken does not work, there are usually ways of cutting across to another.

But it is still the journey that counts. The experiences it offers, the memories it creates.And as trite as it may sound, the more effort your path takes, the stronger you will be.

Relax, and enjoy the walk. If it gets hard, try to slow your pace.