You don’t argue with a bear. If you are hiking down a path and encounter a bear, you take another route. You don’t barge on past him or demand that he gets out of your way.

Life can be like that. Obstacles can be so insurmountable that if we try to force our way through, we just spin our wheels and go nowhere, or we are outright prevented from proceeding on our planned direction.

But that does not mean it is the end of the line. It doesn’t mean we have to give up. Nor does it mean that when taking the path of least resistance we are taking the easy way out.

We often can get to our destination by another, better, route. The key is in thinking clearly.

There always are options. Rarely are we left with only one choice. One may seem the only alternative weighed against everything else, but another path does exist. And in the end we may find that the direction we seemingly were forced to take really was the best for reasons previously unseen. That bear was a catalyst for us to veer off in an area that is so much more than we imagined.

When encountering those bumps—or mountains—stop, think creatively, and be open to new and alternate ideas. There’s always hope for a positive outcome.

©2013, Mary K. Doyle