Life may sometimes feel like you’re on a horse riding fast and furiously along a narrow path that divides dense forest. Every so often there are breaks of open spaces and then more forest.  Metaphorically it might feel like you’re riding away from your past toward a future you hope will be worth the journey. The deep dense forest shields you from what lies ahead and makes you focus on the path before you. You continue to ride when suddenly you come upon fallen trees and brush strewn across your path. It forces you to ‘hold’ your horse and assess your options. What are your options at this point? Perhaps finding an alternate route is one or getting off your horse and clearing away some of the debris, might be another. You may decide to backtrack or wait for someone to come and help you create a clearing.

It’s easy to lament the past or worry and be anxious about the future but how do you manage the present?
What does the present hold for you? Where are you on your path? If your present symbolizes a barrier – perhaps one which is made up of feeling stuck at a crossroad in your personal or professional life or having a difficult decision to contend with or feeling anxious about future prospects or many other issues that arise over time - how do you manage to clear the way?

Look at the present as a 24hour period of time. How much of that time do you spend sleeping? Subtract your sleep time from 24 and that leaves you with x hours to work with.
How do you use this time productively? What if you were to make a list detailing all the things that have been preoccupying your thoughts, for example, procrastination, overcoming a habit, conquering a weight issue, feeling overwhelmed, feeling like you have too many unanswered questions that you want answered, confronted with a serious decision and so on…. What one thing on your list is the biggest stumbling block for you at this time, one that stops you from moving ahead in the direction you wish to go? In what direction do you wish to go? What makes you want to go there?
Once you’ve chosen one, decide on how much of x amount of time you would like to spend taking the steps necessary to “clear the way” and begin. This may mean talking to someone in search of answers or it may mean unpacking one of the many unpacked boxes…
What ever it is, even overwhelming situations or projects can be resolved or managed when divided into small ‘doable’ actions one step at a time on your own or with someone’s help.
Even the deepest, most dense brush can be cleared away in small sections at a time.

How do you think you will feel when you spend today and each day hereafter in the present clearing the way to the future you want?

Picture yourself, once again, riding fast and furiously on a horse, this time through a sparse forest with the suns rays shining through and then across a vast airy plain with rolling hills. You arrive at a ridge, stop and get off your horse. You take a slow sip of cleansing water and feast your eyes on a spectacular view, one that bestows you with serenity, peace and a sense of accomplishment.

~Lesia S.