The Road Ahead

This weekend marks the official start of summer along with Father’s Day! Just this past week, our family celebrated my grandson’s graduation from elementary school in New York City. 

As I was standing at the fence watching his graduation, I got nostalgic. The last year and a half hasn’t been easy for the students, the teachers or the families. Some of the kids have been remote since last March, and many students were seeing their friends for the first time in over a year. They’ve been thrown so many curve balls since last spring. Many have left the city and started over in new places. Despite all of what they’ve been through, they’ve kept going and grew. 

I started reflecting on my grandson. I thought about his first days at preschool and kindergarten, and now his elementary years are over. How fast it went by! As a New York City kid, he’s done and seen so many things. At ten years old, he’s already traveled many new roads. How many roads do we travel in our lifetime?

As I was walking around the neighborhood near his school, I took a wrong turn. Taking a wrong turn in the city can be overwhelming! But I remembered what my dad always said: Never panic and take your time; all roads lead home. In this case, all roads led to graduation. I stopped and took in my surroundings, looking up to see if I recognized any of the buildings. My five-minute walk took ten, but I navigated my way to the school and arrived early. I think this can happen in life, too. We may take the wrong road, and yet, the right path can still turn up suddenly. 

How many times in life have we arrived at a fork in the road, or an intersection, and asked which way to go? It’s a choice we have to make. Life is full of new roads and journeys. As the students graduated, I thought about the many new roads that are ahead of them. They were excited and having fun, and probably not thinking about it at the moment, but the school song they sang included the line: I wonder how my life’s gonna be?

There are so many roads for us to navigate during our lifetime. With each new journey comes growth, challenges, new relationships, adjustments and understanding. As we travel, there are a lot of questions: will I always be on the right road? Will I find my way? Will I get lost or be afraid, lonely or brave? Will there be help along the way? 

I know for myself that if I stopped and asked all the questions before I started on the new road, I wouldn’t go. Our visions, dreams, goals and adventures usually get us started down the road. At times we may get stuck or want to quit, but we must take it one day at a time. Take small steps, ask for and accept help, and most importantly, enjoy the journey!

Are you on a new journey, and not sure which road to take? All of us have been there. Remember that you can do it. Embrace it and accept every moment as an adventure along the way.

Do you get nostalgic at graduations or other big life events? Does it bring back memories? Do you wonder where you would be if you’d chosen another road?