The Long Walls

 It is very true, that if we follow a wall long enough, we will eventually find a door. But how many of us have had the experience of following a wall for a very long time, only to discover that going through the doorway proves disastrous? I have had this experience enough times to truly appreciate that there is an intelligence in this universe that far surpasses my own. What is tricky is to learn how to discern between that 'something'  that is worth working for, and that 'something' that eludes us for our higher good. So how do we tell?  I wish I had a recipe, but of course I don't.In my own life I know the best I can do is to stay awake and be aware. I am a hard worker and I am not at all afraid to stretch myself to reach a goal. When my effort has been true, my intention clear, and despite this my goal continues to have that 'dangling carrot just out of my grasp' quality.... it is usually time to re-evaluate. In my younger years I was much more stubborn- I followed those walls for miles. Over time I have learned when the walls in my world stretch themselves over great distances it is usually because the doorways at the end of those walls make me bleed.Deciding to step away from the long walls does not mean giving up...it means stepping away. When we step away, we get a different view.  That view usually contains a doorway right there in the middle of that place we were unwilling to glance toward before.How do you know when you are following one of life's 'long walls'? Do you have a way of discerning between the need to persevere and the need to let go?