When You Get Blown Off the Path

One foot in front of the other works until it doesn't

Does it look like my wrist is at a really weird angle? It is. Photo by author.

Only one thing was real, more real to me now than the past that we lost for the future we didn't have: if I put one foot in front of another, the path would move me forward and a strip of dirt, often no more than a foot wide, had become home. — The Salt Path, Raynor Winn

During a particularly challenging period in my life, a friend gave me the following useful advice: "You don't have to know the way forward. You just have to take the next good step. Trying to see where it all leads is paralyzing you. You only need to focus on one foot forward at a time."

She was spot on. Sometimes all you can do is the next right thing.

This is how Raynor and Moth Winn ended up hiking the southwest coastal path in England after losing their house, livelihood and health. When all the futures ahead looks dark, sometimes all you can do is figure out where your next step is. So they picked a particular long path and started walking.

The beauty of choosing a path is your steps are predetermined at least for a little while. Obstacles can and do arise but you figure out how to get around them and back on the path. This works great until suddenly it doesn't.