No Right Turn

I drove to the Beach on Saturday...a usual place we dote on during Spring and early Summer (late Summer in Aus will fry you trust me:). The beauty of the late afternoon skies and the waves kissing the sands...the city lights in the far Northern sky and the planes taking off and landing - yes one coming when one's going...reminded me of opportunities in Life. Anyways what captured my attention was 3 dogs running along the beach with their owner. One dog was totally crazy...she was not following any rules and was just being totally herself. When the other dogs were running in one direction with the owner, this one was running the other way and enjoying every bit of it. The waves hitting her small legs and she was woof woofing at the waters and then running again.

It was really very interesting to watch this adorable thing (let's call her Tessa) - while the other 2 were running quietly beside their owner, following all the rules, obeying the instructions and watching every step carefully, Tessa was doing it all wrong...but she was having fun while the other 2 were looking quite bored but wanting to be in control. While they were running keeping themselves away from the water and looking so matured and in control, Tessa was breaking all thr rules, losing control but having the time of her life. What else you want her to do - she came to have fun na? The owner stops for a while to call Tessa back and then she turns around and runs behind him for a while...half way through she does her own thing again :) She stops, nibbles on something on the sand, stares at the water, woof woofs at the waves and jumps back and forth.

As she continuosuly did that, the No-Right-Turn sign came into my head. Although this particular road sign means you can't make a Right turn into that street, in this instance it joined with Tessa's journey to form a different and a valuable revelation to all of us. Tessa was delivering a very important message. She was showing us that there's no predefined 'right' turn that will take you to happiness. Turns can be in any direction and taking risks even if that means breaking from your routine and exploring the other side is what really matters - that's the 'right' turn. People are afraid to break the conventional way of thinking and living. Being out of control freaks some people out and they set themselves standards that they don't seem to enjoy at all - but they just live by it because if they go out of it, it feels like they are doing something wrong. But what are they gaining from it - nothing but being the same all their life - no adventure, no excitement, no new discoveries, no new connections and hell it's boring! It's good to go by the rules but hey it's just good only. Take a so-called 'wrong' turn and you may be surprised of how 'right' a turn it might turn out to be. It's better to be a tad more free and adventurous. So what if the rules are calling you back, go back only for a while like Tessa did and always come back to mischief - 'cause just see how many new friends and dicoveries Tessa made. Go on, be a bit more of what you really should be...seize every opportunity as soon as it lands before it disappears back into the air like that plane that just took off. Break the rules as long as it doesnt hurt anyone...have fun and be mischievous like Tessa is. Stop to meet new friends on the beach, to smell the flowers on the side, to see the starfish on the shore, to hear the sound of waves touching the sand, to feel the sand that's under your feet and to taste the salty waters every now and then, just like Tessa did. Have something exciting for the end of the day to reminisce back upon. Don't follow always...be someone that others might wanna follow. Take risks, be different, enjoy yourself, not the rules...'cause there's no real 'right' turn you see.