The Long Road Ahead

On my way to success, I got stopped by sudden tragedy. When I finished my time there, refusing to wallow in self-pity, I finally go back on the road. As I continued my quest, once again my progress was halted. This time I veered off the path and took a side road that took me off-course. Why? Well, I did this because I got sidetracked by distraction. Come on, I was bored. As always, I spent a lot more time wandering down this road than I initially intended to. Finally, when I awoke out of my stupor of purposeless movement and idleness, I had to backtrack—wasting even more time and energy. However, I was able to again find my way back on the straight and narrow. Because I was at this time running way behind, I had to put forth double, and at times, triple the effort—just to get where I should have been at this time. Then I wondered, “What if I put forth this type of effort in the first place and avoided the pitfalls of distraction—where would I be? Hmmm…” Oh well, no time for regret—that leads to self-pity, which will lead me back to distraction, and—you know the rest. Besides, I can’t move forward looking backward.  Since I have been exerting myself—not trying to get ahead—but just where I should be, I am now exhausted. Do I rest for a while and risk resting too long, or do I lower my head, just slow it down for a while until I regain strength, so at least I will keep moving forward—no matter what? The latter. Yes, no matter what, I gotta keep moving forward. No more getting caught up, no more going too far, no more biting off more than I can chew—that’s how you wind up choking. Now, I’ve got a long way to go. But I’ve also come so far. I am nowhere near where I need to be—but I am also nowhere near where I was. The finish line is now closer to me than my starting point. Yeah, I made some bad mistakes along the way. But I keep pressing on. I spent too much time—wasting time—but it’s still my time. I got entangled easily and found it far more difficult to free myself. I have learned from my mistakes—and the stupidity and ignorance of others. So, they’re not a total loss. But, I’m back on my way. And no one—NO ONE can stop me—but me.