# The Route. 

> If this life is a journey | Are we free to take the lead?

**Published by:** [On The Inside](https://paragraph.com/@ontheinside/)
**Published on:** 2024-07-29
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@ontheinside/the-route

## Content

The Route. | A photo by Melanie Jane | Wayanad, IndiaSubscribe now Chin grazes the neck Eyes scan the ground Head tilts upward A bridge before me is found. There is a route in which I see A route that seems engrained Rules and expectations there are known A defined future is arranged. Go to school by the age of five Learn the fundamentals of all things. Become a decent human Be involved and take the lead. Color within the lines Draw things that, to others, make sense Become an athlete or an artist Define who it is that you are. Exceed in academia Win medals on the field Take home trophies for your performance Be the best; succeed. Finish what you start Get that diploma, cross the stage Now you are seventeen or eighteen Decide the avenue in which you will take. Go to school or get a job A degree or apprenticeship. Live those years until they are over Climb to the top in your career Get married and have kids. Focus your time on worthwhile things Do not deter from the part Live within the lines Accept that in your heart. There is a route that seems engrained Rules and expectations there are bold What happens when those routes Do not match the vision that we hold? When the route that seems the norm Does not quite fit the life that we live? When the route that feels expected Is not congruent with the desires of your heart? I have walked routes like this before I have stepped upon that bridge I have walked toward those expectations That have been placed upon the life that I live. They say that this life is a journey Can we detach from the expected scenes? If this life is a journey Are we free to take the lead? The route that is upon Can we define where it goes? The route that is upon Can we control its direction and flow? Eyes fixate on the bridge Head begins its downward tilt Chin again grazes the neck I see my feet; they are on the ground. The route that was before Is not the only option for my life I take a breath in through my nose Shift the direction of my feet Then continue towards what, to me, feels right.

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