Potential Alley
Let's take a walk for a few minutes.
Trust me, I know you have nothing else to do but waste time doing something
that probably isn't important anyway. Get those shoes on and let's hit it.
We’re going to start at that small entrance you see on your right called Potential Alley. The pavement isn't very wide because so few people ever venture that direction. Let's walk slow so we can take in the graffiti that others have so kindly left behind. Check out that scribble on the wall, it looks like it says "fear your potential because in it lies the true you". Wow, I wonder who wrote that. Hey look, here is another one; "what is on display inside you is a mere shadow of what could be if you allowed yourself to simply be free". I am not sure what the person meant by that but I know I’d like to free my fears up to go after my potential.
Well, we are at the end of Potential Alley; I told you it was a short narrow walk. I think it would be great if more people used this little side alley so then maybe it could be expanded. Gosh, I wonder what our lives would be like if we did seek out our true potential. Oh well, which way are we turning now - another right onto Busy Street.
Good grief! People are driving like crazy on Busy Street! Please watch where you are going; heck its survival of the quickest out here. It’s so noisy here we can barely hear each other enough to carry on a conversation! No wonder all these people seem so bitter - they can't relax long enough to take in God's beauty. HEY LOOK OUT, dang that car almost hit you and look, she is screaming at us for being in her way! Man, let's get off of this street; we can't get anywhere or do anything because it is so fast-paced and crowded.
We’re going to start at that small entrance you see on your right called Potential Alley. The pavement isn't very wide because so few people ever venture that direction. Let's walk slow so we can take in the graffiti that others have so kindly left behind. Check out that scribble on the wall, it looks like it says "fear your potential because in it lies the true you". Wow, I wonder who wrote that. Hey look, here is another one; "what is on display inside you is a mere shadow of what could be if you allowed yourself to simply be free". I am not sure what the person meant by that but I know I’d like to free my fears up to go after my potential.
Well, we are at the end of Potential Alley; I told you it was a short narrow walk. I think it would be great if more people used this little side alley so then maybe it could be expanded. Gosh, I wonder what our lives would be like if we did seek out our true potential. Oh well, which way are we turning now - another right onto Busy Street.
Good grief! People are driving like crazy on Busy Street! Please watch where you are going; heck its survival of the quickest out here. It’s so noisy here we can barely hear each other enough to carry on a conversation! No wonder all these people seem so bitter - they can't relax long enough to take in God's beauty. HEY LOOK OUT, dang that car almost hit you and look, she is screaming at us for being in her way! Man, let's get off of this street; we can't get anywhere or do anything because it is so fast-paced and crowded.
Let’s stop for a few minutes to
catch our breath at this small sit-down diner and wouldn’t you know it check
out the name of this place “The Shady Rest”. It seems that life is so busy we
don't have time to live it. It’s so easy to get caught up in the adrenaline of
surviving that we totally lose sight of our ability to thrive. Talking about
this makes me realize how busy my own life is and how little time I have for
the things that mean the most – gosh, no wonder I am so uptight all the time.
As we walked out of that little quiet spot, we headed over to a crosswalk and veered off to the right again onto Regret Road. My friend hollered loudly, why do we have to go down this road!!! Look at it, it’s dirty and the bumps and potholes could cause a car or bike to lose control and hit us. Nonetheless, I insisted that we take this direction. Gosh, this little road is so sad with everyone looking down instead of ahead. I stopped and ask one man why he seemed so down and he replied, "I feel so lost and alone. I had so many opportunities in my life to explore my potential and I blew them all because I wasted my time doing nothing. I spent more time complaining about everyone else and missed out on my own life, he said". I could feel his regret and it made me feel bad inside. I know we did not want to spend too much time on this road, but it sure did make us think of all the things we’ve regretted but still allow to hold back our potential.
You know, I think we may need to go back home - this little trip has worn me out in a short amount of time. I think it’s just a little further up and then a right-hand turn will take us back to where we started. Hey check this out look what street we’re turning onto now? Peace Place, how cool! It’s a small neat and fresh two-lane side street. The colors of the buildings seem so bright and the people seem, well, happy and smiling. Kinda like Potential Alley, it is way too short to enjoy for long. You ask me why those two streets were so short and I replied well, it’s because most people fear their potential and peace is something we all like to talk about but no one really wants to work at. Not much space is needed for the things we do not use. Busy street is wide and long because that is where most people live their lives. Kinda sad when you think about it, isn’t it?
Now that the tour is over, I took some time to reflect and realize how little of my life I have spent really living. It is so easy to allow regret to wash away your potential, but I also saw it as giving me an excuse for not taking those leaps of faith. If I pretend to be super busy with my life, no one ever asks me why I’m not reaching for the stars. But the thing that was the most enlightening was the search for peace - what makes that so difficult when it sounds and looks so good?
At the end of our short journey, the parting wisdom I received was this - leave regret where it belongs which is yesterday’s news and look for the potential that will guide your life towards peace. In man's search for meaning, it isn't treasures that bring us joy, it is the awe of knowing that we brought peace to our small acre of God's kingdom. Your potential awaits you and it isn't reserved for anyone else. It will either be taken or left behind and that choice is up to you.
peace to you
Dale
As we walked out of that little quiet spot, we headed over to a crosswalk and veered off to the right again onto Regret Road. My friend hollered loudly, why do we have to go down this road!!! Look at it, it’s dirty and the bumps and potholes could cause a car or bike to lose control and hit us. Nonetheless, I insisted that we take this direction. Gosh, this little road is so sad with everyone looking down instead of ahead. I stopped and ask one man why he seemed so down and he replied, "I feel so lost and alone. I had so many opportunities in my life to explore my potential and I blew them all because I wasted my time doing nothing. I spent more time complaining about everyone else and missed out on my own life, he said". I could feel his regret and it made me feel bad inside. I know we did not want to spend too much time on this road, but it sure did make us think of all the things we’ve regretted but still allow to hold back our potential.
You know, I think we may need to go back home - this little trip has worn me out in a short amount of time. I think it’s just a little further up and then a right-hand turn will take us back to where we started. Hey check this out look what street we’re turning onto now? Peace Place, how cool! It’s a small neat and fresh two-lane side street. The colors of the buildings seem so bright and the people seem, well, happy and smiling. Kinda like Potential Alley, it is way too short to enjoy for long. You ask me why those two streets were so short and I replied well, it’s because most people fear their potential and peace is something we all like to talk about but no one really wants to work at. Not much space is needed for the things we do not use. Busy street is wide and long because that is where most people live their lives. Kinda sad when you think about it, isn’t it?
Now that the tour is over, I took some time to reflect and realize how little of my life I have spent really living. It is so easy to allow regret to wash away your potential, but I also saw it as giving me an excuse for not taking those leaps of faith. If I pretend to be super busy with my life, no one ever asks me why I’m not reaching for the stars. But the thing that was the most enlightening was the search for peace - what makes that so difficult when it sounds and looks so good?
At the end of our short journey, the parting wisdom I received was this - leave regret where it belongs which is yesterday’s news and look for the potential that will guide your life towards peace. In man's search for meaning, it isn't treasures that bring us joy, it is the awe of knowing that we brought peace to our small acre of God's kingdom. Your potential awaits you and it isn't reserved for anyone else. It will either be taken or left behind and that choice is up to you.
peace to you
Dale
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