I find myself still searching on a path like the dinosaurs, re-tracing the lingering footprints and impressions that have pre-determined my direction.  And I am still pushing forward past the Ice Age, seeking an even warmer and brighter future.  

My new beginning starts with living in the moment I am given…at the time it is given…and refusing to let any more moments pass me by or pause too long to consider symbolic gestures, choosing instead to embrace each passing moment for what it is…and acknowledging what it isn’t.

That requires a new way of thinking for me.  I am always looking for signs and meaning in life.  Cobbling moments together like a jigsaw puzzle, so that I have a complete picture of the finished design before I even take the pieces out of the box.  I want to complete the safe and secure border pieces before I jump into the middle of the more challenging pieces. 

What I’ve learned is that the trouble with focusing on finding missing pieces is that you often miss the ones that are in plain sight…the ones already within your reach…independent, changing and wonderful. 

And this puzzle, the one I’m trying to piece together…I’ve approached with false logic.  I’ve acted on the assumption that if I continued each day to fill in a new section, complete a new border or a tough middle section…that somehow a picture would magically appear and provide answers to every question I’ve ever had.

This was a mistake…for while life may at times seem to be an unfinished puzzle, it is not a static picture…every piece chosen…even the order in which you do so, is like shifting sand.  It shapes and re-shapes your vision.  Life is more like a video, changing constantly in moments where your lens and filters change.  Life is influenced by interpretations, the influence of others, and your own healthy middle.  And if you limit yourself to those safe border pieces, you may find that your horizon has gone from infinite possibilities to self-imposed limits.  Every moment is like a new puzzle piece, waiting for you to shape it and watch it grow.  It’s interconnected and if you only stay within your borders, you may miss out on the opportunity to help shape an even bigger landscape.

M