“Markers” on Life’s Highway

“Markers” on Life’s Highway

Each person, through life has created markers, which identify their life. Born of tradition, events, comparisons to others or personal accomplishments these markers over time become points of life with the most rapid recall. At times when grouped together, a marker might also become an indentity of your life. 

Watching the VIEW this morning, a guest host identified as a bestselling author who was S.E. Cupp. A marker created as an author now, preceded her name. Two markers merged - as one identity outside of her identity as a person. Not thought as being uncommon, J.K. Rowling identified as the author, before the personal history. Today, I seemed to take note on a personal level since I had not heard of the author or person before and yet a national TV show felt presumptuous the viewing audience had. If the introduction had been for the person who was also an author, I would have felt more drawn to investigate the books as a separate entity of who she is. Instead, I finished watching the show without any draw to investigate any further. The book/entity or person being one un-separated from the other as either an object or a person. 

At times the markers of our life become the feats of accomplishment and whether accomplished or the feeling of being left in defeat. My grandfather would send the boys of the family including my Dad when they reached school age, into the woods with a gun – instructed not to return until they had killed an animal which could be cleaned and kept for a meal. A marker, by tradition of being able to handle a gun, and possibly shape their future choices in how they cared to view guns. Dad accomplished the task and went on to receiving honors in WW2 for marksmanship, though he never owned or shot a gun to my knowledge during these adult years even though he was well trained in using a weapon. I remember being in my teens and Dad taking a job at a warehouse, after his employer of many years died suddenly. Not realizing he could handle a gun, I begged him too quit the job when he told me a handgun was part of him equipment on the job. Not to long after, he did quit the job, creating a marker in my own life of memories. Could it have been partly to my insistence or possibly his choice no longer to associate a weapon with his identity as a person?

One of my uncles who died two years ago, being a teen one of the rites or traditions was to climb a known cliff in the Ozarks and jump to the water below. All the males in the family achieved this feat. When he topped the cliff and could not jump this marker became part of his identity as feeling a defeat which he talked about until the ending years of his life. A marker attainable and yet not completed, leaving a feeling of being unaccomplished in life. This man had a brilliant mind and made many others very rich in life in providing ideas, which brought them wealth, yet the role of observer or great feats became more common in his identity. One marker, possibly affecting further markers of greatness in his life – which left him standing at the same cliff and watching the jump. 

The shots fired in our lives or the choice to jump those cliffs into the unknown, shape who we are right now and possibly always will be. A goal attempted and completed will become a personal choice in whether we choose again to repeat. A goal attempted and not completed will become a personal void, with each holding a separate piece of our identity in life. I have always been one who will try something, which peaks my interest, if I like it – I will do it again. However, I will take that jump regardless of the outcome. I will calculate risk and safety factors of the logical realm in doing so. At times the markers are completed and other times people seen the jump as just being unfounded. Life is a learning process – if we fail to try, then the process as left markers unaccomplished. We can choose to create markers as one identity, or diversify in the process of doing so. We can have an identity marked by accomplishment or accomplishments marked as an identity. Neither is right nor wrong, only personal acceptance of the process of learning. 

J.K. Rowling is one of the people I would love to meet, not because of Harry – but because of the personal markers, she accomplished in bringing Harry into this world. With the identity, being more intriguing than the product or marker created. My personal choices in separating the markers from the identity as a whole. On the other hand, is that possible, without one influence holding the mystique of the other? What are your markers in life? Is the influence of one still being carried as undone, or is accomplishment of the marker given way to pursuing new choices? All, becoming the markers on life’s highway. Stretch who you are – the highway is unending, with only our choice to stop at a marker or to keep processing and learning with each step on the path.