We experience ups and downs…good times and bad….blah, blah, blah!  On the road to life, you are responsible for your actions, for your decisions, for the people you choose to surround yourself with.  I believe there are many choices we make each day, and the more present we are in each moment, the easier it will be to make the best choices that match up with who we are.  Rogers believed that people have everything within themselves to become happy and move towards a better life.  He thought that the farther a person goes  away from being their true selves, the less happy they are and the more discomfort that is created in their lives.

So, let’s think about that.  Have you ever put on a pair of jeans that used to be your “oh, my gosh I am so hot jeans”, to look in the mirror and wonder where the hell the hotness went and when the extra innertube landed on your body?  Have you ever gotten to work and felt irritated, frustrated and angry at the people you work with, and not know why?  Have you ever looked at your spouse and wondered, who is this person?  These are all examples of times in our lives when we  have gotten away from ourselves.  When we slowly but surely stopped tapping into our inner resources, when we stopped listening to the voice within, when we became complacent.  This is when we used everything else as a means of coping and stopped working on the things in life that are truly important to us.  It happens, we get busy working and paying bills and taking care of little ones, and we get caught up in the rat race of this crazy world.  We put fitness, healthy eating, our loved ones, spirituality, and our passions on the back burner because we think we are doing the right thing or perhaps we are not even thinking at all, perhaps we are just on autopilot.  If you have ever seen the movie “Click” with Adam Sandler, it gives a great image to what happens when you go on autopilot in your life.

So, when is it time to hit the pause button and get back into your life?  Will it be when you are out buying your newest pair of stretchy pants, perhaps when your spouse stops coming home for dinner?  Maybe when your kids graduate and move out of the nest, then maybe you can really start living it up.  Will it be when you are so frustrated at work that even the family dog runs from your wrath when you get home?  On the road to life, we have to live – we have to enjoy a sunset, smell the fresh coffee, spend a few more seconds gazing into our loved ones eyes or hugging them closely.  We have to make time for friends and family, even if you don’t want to hear Uncle Jack’s fishing stories one more time.  It’s those small spaces of time that help us get in touch with who we really are.  It could be the 5 minutes of meditation or relaxing breathing we keep just for ourselves.  It could be the drive in the car with your thoughts and prayers, or the long hot shower that helps you keep in touch with your core.  Your time, your process, your journey…on this road to life could you learn to make the best choices for you to keep you closer to who you really are?