We walk the same 1-1/2 mile path system on our place every day, and just like the mail carrier, nothing keeps us from our appointed rounds. There are a lot of trees along the way, most less than 25 years old, but a few areas have some huge older maples and Oregon ash.

An ash that we walk past each day recently dropped this on our trail. There was no wind, rain, or snow. It was just time for this rotten bough to hit the dirt. It’s not the first time there have been branches this big or even an entire 80-year old tree fall in our daily path. Our reaction is always the same. We clean up the mess or else build a path around it. We never turn back.

That’s how I try to deal with the barriers, creative blocks and negative forces in my life: I try to clean them up. And if that doesn’t work, I walk around them, creating a new path. Some barriers won’t be budged no matter how strong or persistent we are. Just remember that there are other paths for us to take. As Joseph Campbell wrote, “Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.”

To note, we do hope that the trees continue to do their messy business while we are elsewhere on the property. So far so good…