A Windy Path…To Clarity

“Crinkle-crankle” walls in the U.K. use fewer bricks than a straight one. The design is stronger due to the arch support too!

You may have seen the above photo on social media. I have seen it a number of times over the years and only appreciated it for its historical significance. I’m a sucker for odd facts and this one is particularly interesting. The other day it showed up on my feed once again, but for whatever reason it led me to think a bit deeper about it. 

“How interesting,” I thought. Those brick barriers take less material and are somehow stronger than the typical straight wall. I’m not an engineer, so I’m sure there’s some structural logic to it that I don’t understand. 

I laughed to myself because I thought that’s a nice representation of my personal journey in life. All over the place. It’s something that’s always been frustrating. Why can’t I just stay the course? 

Well, reading the explanation on that post helped me to reflect on my own path. Gracefully swaying from side to side, flowing with opportunities and relationships and working with the universe on what’s next. “Maybe it isn’t such a bad thing.” Maybe this wonky, not straight, path has actually made me stronger? Maybe I’ve used my materials in the best way possible? Maybe those curves, each unique experience, all add up to a life that leaves legacy and strength. 

So the lesson or message for today is simple: you may not know how it all adds up, and life may seem to be so random, but somehow, in some way it’s making you stronger and allowing you to have fortitude for what’s next. I’m not always clear on my own future, but I know that some day I will look back on it all with such precise clarity and wonder how I didn’t see it. I believe this is true for you too. 

If you’re reading this, it may be a nudge from the beyond to keep going when nothing makes sense. Let’s sit in this tough place together and reframe it. “What is happening next (with excitement, not dread?” “What does it all add up to? How have my experiences built the current version of me? How might these experiences carry me into my next chapter?”

As those bricklayers were doing their work, perhaps they’d made the calculations first and done test runs, but on their first attempt at a wavy wall, they were crossing their fingers in hope that it worked. As we navigate our own wavy paths wondering how it all works out, let’s not forget to stop and be grateful for the moment we are in. Yeah, I said it….the chaos, the unpredictability, the risk of it all. It may or may not work out how you’d hoped, but my wish is that you take the time to be present in what is and always have faith that it will work out as you hoped…or better. 

May your path be filled with strength and exciting turns!

✨Bright Light Betsy ✨