A few years back, my boys and I were hiking at a local state park.
It was a beautiful sunny day.
I can still remember the sounds of their laughter as we walked, and the feel of the sun on my back.
My youngest son, Jacob, kept veering off the trail, wanting to explore the treasures that caught his eye in the grass or beyond the trees.
I remember being annoyed with him because he was slowing down our pace. I'm a pretty solid Type A, so when I have a plan, I generally like to stick to it.
These boys do a good job of reminding me that sometimes that's not the best approach.
This day was no different.
After about the millionth time asking Jacob to get back on the trail, I finally followed him out into the grass to see what was so exciting.
I found him kneeling next to a tree stump, beaming from ear to ear.
"Look Mom, it's smiling!"
I looked.
The tree stump stared up at me with an endearing, lop-sided grin.
I turned my gaze back to Jacob.
I smiled too.
And I hugged him and silently thanked him for making me pause that day.
Sometimes life is like that path we were walking.
We walk blindly along, taking the comfortable route, looking only in one direction - forward.
What we forget is that the things in life that truly make us smile may not lie directly in our line of sight.
We may have to veer off the beaten path to find them.
In times like the ones that we are in, reflecting on memories like this helps me maintain perspective.
The smiles are out there, we just have to look at life a little differently now.
We may need to wander off the path that we've been on, open our minds to new opportunities, find our smiles in places that weren't even in our original plan.
The best leaders know how to adapt and adjust their course when they realize that what they are currently doing isn't working.
Perhaps this time, the adjustment to our course means a whole different course altogether.
And perhaps when we change our course, it will lead us directly to a lop-sided smile in the middle of the tall grass.
Great Job Michelle