Our first steps start at the entrance, the arches of the labyrinth waiting to welcome you warmly. But there is no sign, no warning as to what lies beyond. We often get lost in the labyrinth, and in our panicked and disheveled minds we forget to stop and look past the deception of bias perception of the naked eye and simply take in our natural surroundings. We run past the opportunities that were always there but never looked upon, and through every path we forget to look back and try to find the mistake that took us to our false trial. Our desire to get to the end suddenly changes. Then we see, and we want to walk back because on our frantic search for a way we hadn’t stopped to look at what was really around us. The walls were never really boundaries nor a prison, but were guidance. We ignored the warnings, though it was never too late to listen, to see, and to feel what is around us. Slowing our pace, we turn around and take in the life that shrouded around us, the things we almost had forsaken; the lover’s bench, the playful daisies, the shade of the maple trees. And we find that as the time passes we begin to wish we hadn’t rushed in, because it is no longer our turn. We still haven’t reached the end, but we know that after the trail ends and we must return to the glorious gates, there will be a few surprises thereafter. Fleeting adventure comes with every turn. Every choice made determines the journey we each take, and the destination irrelevant. So take your time and feel the warmth of the sun’s glow on your back when it’s your turn. And remember, you can’t live in fear of risk, because you can never get back what time has already passed. ~ChristyV. March 7th 2011