The flock of birds took to the air. With the wind beneath their wings, they flew with ease through the morning sky. It was a beautiful day, without a cloud in sight. As they continued on their flight some were singing, while others were happily coasting along.
Behind them, at the back of the formation, was a lone bird that began to get weary from the long journey. Although he began to fly slower, none of the others seemed to notice. Eventually all that was carrying him, was the breeze that flowed above the earth below.
Sudden bursts of wind would occasionally knock him down and then a gust of air would lift him back up. But, never was he moving on his own. He was simply floating and with every mile, he fell further and further behind the rest of the flock.
Soon the other birds were so far ahead of him, that all that could be seen of them was a thin line in the sky. As they got further ahead, he began to get discouraged. He started to feel unimportant and without purpose. All the other birds were on a mission, yet he was merely drifting through the air.
He wondered why he should continue to follow them. What was the point? He could go anywhere he wanted and the others wouldn’t notice he was gone. Even if they did, they would soon forget and continue on their merry way.
As he floated along, now miles behind them, he pondered over what to do. Should he regain his strength and quicken his pace until he catches up with them? Or, should he just turn and go wherever the current takes him?
There are always two options in life. The easy route and the hard route. Each will lead to a different destination. But the question is, which destination is best?
Me - Who am I? 
Great little lesson in your story. We forget sometimes we have a choice
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Thank you. Yes we do – we forget, but we have choices in everything.
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Also, is one destination really better than the other – or are they just different yet beautiful in their own way ? 🙂
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That is something to think about, isn’t it? I suppose it’s all about perspective.
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Do we coast or do we put in the hard yards? Do we stop and rest when we are tired and then continue on? Or do we give up altogether?
Hard, hard choices to make.
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There can be hard choices to make and they come at us, often unexpectedly, throughout our lives. I think the general ‘rule’ should be that no matter what, never give up.
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Often I fail to realize that the easy choice now makes my life harder later. I think often the idea that one choice is easier than the other(s) is an illusion.
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You’re right, Dave. The easy way is often just as difficult as the hard way. The only difference is that the hard way takes more effort.
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For most of my life I was that bird at the back struggling to keep up with the group until one day I decided I didn’t want to catch up anymore. It is sometimes lonely but much more enjoyable. Love Jenna
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I think that’s a good outlook to have. After all, it is our life we’re living. Being lonely can have its cons, but it can also have its benefits, such as less stress and drama.
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Beautiful post. I like that the weary bird had two choices, and not a third choice to give up and stagnate. Me? I’m not a follower, I like to find my own way. But, I have been a quitter too. When I think about quitting, I will remember your post.
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Giving up is definitely not a choice in my book. I like that you’re not a follower, because that enables you to be more like “you”. Me, who am I? Fitting, isn’t it?
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What a great lesson. There is always a choice. Many of us don’t recognize we have options because “too hard” is often not considered an option. Great post.
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Thank you. No matter what it looks like, there is always a choice. It just may not always be an easy one. It’s all about choosing wisely.
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Absolutely! 🙂
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That was beautiful. To tell you the truth, I think I’d go were the current takes me because chances are following the others is going to lead to someplace I’ve been before. It’s not very interesting going that way.
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Thank you. You have a good point. Going your own way will give you more opportunity to do things that you’ve never done. It may be risky, but sometimes that’s where the best jewels in life are found.
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Great analogy and thoughts.
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Thank you, Cindi.
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Great analogy. That is what we are faced with every time we come to a point where we are faced with a challenge and need to consider our personal choices.
Often the easy way out, which can sometimes be following the flock because the path is already laid out before us deprives us of having our own experiences.
The opportunities of learning through trial and error. The mistakes we make and the failures we have can help us become not only better at what we are trying to achieve, but also better in character.
Wonderful post, Thanks for sharing!
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I’m so sorry for my late reply. I didn’t realize until just now, that I hadn’t replied early.
You’re right, when we follow others we may miss out on some wonderful experiences, that we would have had, had we gone our own way.
Our mistakes aren’t easy, but without them we would never change, never improve and never move on to trying new things. Thank you so much for your comment!
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Beautifully written and the journey is different for everybody I say go with your gut feeling and dream BIG.
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As I mentioned to Miss Lou – I’m sorry for not replying earlier. I thought I had. Going with my gut sounds like a good plan, also a bit of an intimidating one. It’s always good to dream big! That’s the only way to get where we want to go.
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