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© Suzanne Zoglio, Ph.D.

Jan was walking across a meadow, enthusiastically headed to claim a treasure. The map she inherited indicated it was buried near a marked tree at the edge of the woods. Her stride was determined and her heart full of anticipation. Then, unexpectedly, a fog rolled in around her. It thickened rapidly and soon she was enveloped in a disorienting haze. Her destination completely obscured, she couldn’t tell whether she was on course or off. Her steps became tentative. She was afraid to move. So, she decided to sit for a spell and wait for the fog to clear.

Soon the fog began to lift and Jan could see the X-marked tree off to the right in the distance. She adjusted her course 20 degrees clockwise and headed straight for it. But as she moved forward, a phantom shape darted out onto the path ahead. There it stood, an eerie barrier between Jan and her treasure. "Is it just a swirl left behind from the fog?" she wondered. "Or is it a stranger out for a walk? Could there be an animal lurking ahead?" She wasn’t sure about moving forward toward such an unknown, but the treasure was buried just beyond the ominous shape.

So with a heart beating a bit faster and a gaze riveted on the shape ahead, she proceeded. She thought about a quick-exit path, in case she needed to make a speedy retreat. She picked up a large stick to defend herself, in the event of an animal attack. Still, she moved forward along the path…prepared and holding fear by the hand.

Closer and closer to the shape she moved…and then…poof…it just dissipated…into thin air. It was, after all, just a patch of lingering fog. Relieved, Jan picked up her pace and headed straight for the tree and her buried treasure.

Then she noticed something she hadn’t been aware of before - the treasure was not as close as it had seemed. Now she could see that there was a stream to cross, a hill to climb, and a boulder to move out of the way. At first she was disappointed –a bit discouraged, and wondered if she should proceed. "Suppose there is no treasure, and I go through all of this trouble?" she questioned. "What if it’s not worth the bother?" She stood for a moment, thinking about why she had set out in the first place.

Soon she felt excitement renewing in her heart and she took one step forward. Then another. And another. "Oh well," she said aloud, "Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’ll just put one foot in front of the other…and enjoy each step along the way."

What "fogs" the path to your dreams? Busyness, automatic pilot?

What fears stand between you and your treasure?

What fuels you to stay the course…passion? patience? small successes?