Venturing Off The Path

You remember Little Red Riding Hood, right? Do you remember the lesson at the end of the story?

[Sorry if I'm ruining this for anybody who has been living under a rock.]

In the version I read to my son tonight, the book ends with this:

"As long as I live," said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, "I shall never again leave the forest path when you have warned me not to do so."

Personally I think this is terrible advice.

In fact, Little Red Riding Hood only met the Big Bad Wolf because she was on the path in the first place. When she ventured off the path after meeting the Big Bad Wolf, she realized that there was so much more. She noticed the birds, the light dancing through the trees and the pretty flowers on the ground.

In life, if you stay on the path most travelled, the chances of running into a Big Bad Wolf are high. It may feel safer because you can see further ahead but so can the wolf. There is less beauty to take in and when you do find something beautiful, chances are there will be a crowd around it and it may even be gone by the time you get there.

If you venture off the beaten path, yes, you may run into a Big Bad Wolf but there is also way more beauty to take in. It's your own path you are creating. When you find something, you will be able to take in all of it's beauty without the crowd. It's then up to you to decide whether or not you want to share it with the world.

Create your own path in life and you may just end up with some followers.