To Stay The Course

An old buddy of mine, a sailor,made this comment to me one time.
Stay the course.

It was in reference to some troubling decisions I had at the time.

Which way do I go? Was my question.

His answer to me was," Stay the Course"
I looked at him in a puzzling way and asked him what he meant.
He responded back to me that no matter how strong the winds of change may blow you,stay on your course,your heading to what you have chosen in life.

As a young man then,it made no sense to me.
But now,as I have grown older and wiser it makes perfect sense to me.

Chose your path and follow it. Stay the course. Should you wonder you face uncertainty.

The what if's of life is what can hinder you.
The here and now is what it is.
The real deal.
Dreams and fantasies are what drives us and makes this life we have chosen enjoyable.
Sometimes,staying on that chosen path is hard to do.
But,as a friend of mine once told me,stay the course, fight strong against that wind.Know that with that,you will reach your destination. Life is a journey.The wind may push you a little off course,but the compass of your heart will guide you.
My path has been chosen,I know where my journey will lead me.
I will stay the course till my journey is complete.

So,I may wonder here and there,and that is ok.

As long as I stay the course to the end,I will be ok.

Just some ramblings

Peace,
K

reply to post by kdog1982

I have some reservations about this philosophy, primarily that the process of self education will inevitably lead to the evolution of one's perceptions and attitudes.

If you cannot change, you cannot grow.

I believe what he may have meant that I do agree with is that one should not allow their fundamental beliefs to be swayed by external influence such as peer pressure or open coercion.

greencmp
reply to post by kdog1982

 

I have some reservations about this philosophy, primarily that the process of self education will inevitably lead to the evolution of one's perceptions and attitudes.

If you cannot change, you cannot grow.

I believe what he may have meant that I do agree with is that one should not allow their fundamental beliefs to be swayed by external influence such as peer pressure or open coercion.

I agree with what you have stated.
I believe in growth and change. To remain opened minded.
Believe me when I tell you I have been through alot of growth and change in the last few years.

What I was really talking about is who you chose in life to see you through it.

Your mate,your husband,your wife.

But,this could be applied in many senses of life.
Your religions and beliefs.
Your morals.

I don't know. Maybe this was not a good place to start this conversation,or maybe the perfect place.
All I know,is this is how I feel.
Nothing more.

All I am saying is see it through to the end.

reply to post by kdog1982

I agree with what you have stated.
I believe in growth and change. To remain opened minded.
Believe me when I tell you I have been through alot of growth and change in the last few years.

What I was really talking about is who you chose in life to see you through it.

Your mate,your husband,your wife.

But,this could be applied in many senses of life.
Your religions and beliefs.
Your morals.

I don't know. Maybe this was not a good place to start this conversation,or maybe the perfect place.
All I know,is this is how I feel.
Nothing more.

All I am saying is see it through to the end.

I certainly believe in the importance of loyalty and honor, sometimes people do things that we cannot understand at the time (or ever) but, deserve and require our continued support without satisfactory explanation. Just think of the people who have done the same for us, it is truly humbling and uplifting as well as quite rare.

Sometimes though, you do just have to leave behind those who refuse to be cooperative travelers on the road to the great and eternal truth.

I remember being told as a youth that my friends would not be there as I got older and I had a tough time reconciling that with what appeared to be loyalty. Later, as we all grew in different directions it became apparent that, not because of any loss of loyalty or genuine comradery, there simply wasn't enough of a shared understanding of what was important in life to maintain what became an increasingly artificial rapport.

reply to post by greencmp

I certainly believe in the importance of loyalty and honor, sometimes people do things that we cannot understand at the time (or ever) but, deserve and require our continued support without satisfactory explanation. Just think of the people who have done the same for us, it is truly humbling and uplifting as well as quite rare.

Sometimes though, you do just have to leave behind those who refuse to be cooperative travelers on the road to the great and eternal truth.

I remember being told as a youth that my friends would not be there as I got older and I had a tough time reconciling that with what appeared to be loyalty. Later, as we all grew in different directions it became apparent that, not because of any loss of loyalty or genuine comradery, there simply wasn't enough of a shared understanding of what was important in life to maintain what became an increasingly artificial rapport.

Shed the extra baggage,so to speak. I know. I have friends come and go. Some that I haven't talked to in years that,with a phone call,can pick where we left off. And some I wish to never speak to again.
Most of the people who are my friends now came directly from ATS or from some of their friends. We share that understanding of the world.
But,with all those variances in that,I have stayed my course with my career and family.
Married 17 years and an elevator dude for 26 years.
I can retire in 6 years.
And it has been a very bumpy ride.