Life is Like...

Do you ever feel like you are in a giant 'super mario kart' game of life? 

 Sometimes this analogy is more realistic than what first meets the eye.  After sharing it with a friend last night, I felt it was best to write it out before I was asked about it and forgot where I was originally going with it.  So... here goes.

Sometimes, life is like a Super Mario Kart game.  We climb onto our little scooter and slowly crawl up to our starting block timidly, somewhat unsure of what our laps around the track will look like.  We quickly scan our surroundings and notice that if we go off-roading, our efficiency or speed will be greatly reduced while we run the risk of wearing our tires thin on the rougher turf.  

However, we don't need to worry too much about getting lost or drowning in the water that is sometimes on the course because the 'lil dude on the cloud is always near by.  The Cloudman is responsible for giving the green light to go and flashing the yellow light for caution and if need be, a red light for those moments around the track that require us to stop and rest awhile.  This Cloudman will also be there to warn us if we are unsafely going around the track backwards... and, believe it or not, if we run our scooter into the water (intentionally, or accidently after hitting a banana peel), the Cloudman will come along with his fishing rod - and pull us back on to dry ground, ready to continue once again.  

There are some races that are "ours" to win, while for other races, we are merely companions on someone else's track of life.   When the latter is the case, our duty is to warn of the banana peels so that the 'winner' of the track doesn't get hurt or lose ground; when we hit the secret squares and "win" the prize of the shooting turtle shells, we have a duty to knock out any possible obstacles for the person whose race it is.  

However, at the same time, rather than it being the "race" mode, it's more like Super Mario Kart, Challenge mode - where the characters have to find certain hidden objects within the world or complete certain tasks in the world before they pass to the next level.  While we are companions on the journey, we simply happily continue our way around the track... practicing our driving and encouraging the journey individual along their path.  

Just like everything, there are advantages and disadvantages to this view of life's journey.  The advantages are that we are always reminded that we are truly NEVER alone on this journey.  If not the other scootered creatures, there is a ball on a cloud with a fishing pole that will never leave us drowning longer than a blink of an eye.  He will pull us out, carry us to dry land, and place us back on track.  While there are banana peels along our way, we always recover.  We only momentarily spin out, and after a few seconds, are able to catch our breath and continue.  

The disadvantage is that while we are puttering along as a companion on someone else's journey, we occasionally get car sick and need to put our control on pause for a bit.  When our own world stops spinning, we can return once again to their world, but not before.  It would only just complicate things if our little character got sick on the track and put others in danger of wiping out.  But, even when we momentarily remove ourselves from the world... we are simply sitting just outside the world's door - able to reached at any time with any request or clarification.  There, sipping on a cup of tea and reading a good book, cheering you on from a slightly different viewpoint.