During our lives we travel through many crossroads choosing one path or another. These choices shape our lives, relationships, character, values and health. These choices as much as our heritage determine who and what we become in our lives because although our DNA may regulate eye and hair color, height and ethnicity our heritage doesn’t control our free will. The consequences of our choices often have repercussions for generations.

The decision to go to college or to go into the family business is a significant choice of seeming finality since it will set in motion a course for the rest of your future. Some choices are difficult for the young to make because it forces them to go against parental desires to follow their heart—Dad always wanted a doctor in the family and son wants to be a rock star. When forced to follow parental or community standards often the individual finds conflict with their life purpose that results in chaos or disaster.

For example, in one client session an ancestor became a monk since he was the eldest son even though he had no vocation for the church. He eventually committed suicide because of a horrendous situation. When given a second chance, he chose to marry his sweetheart and have a family. The ancestor and his wife had a lovely life on a farm and their children and the community benefited from their life and happiness. Clearing this unhappy choice and lifetime removed the suicidal depression, conflict with the religious beliefs of the family and anxiety the client had lived with for years.

Some look back when they are older and regret the choices made at one or more of those crossroads but the question now is: Is it too late to alter the course of your life now?

Life hasn’t changed much today. When we are young we still try to please parents, teachers or conform to community expectations by becoming doctors, lawyers or computer programmers instead of musicians or artists. Parents try to ensure their children have safe, financially secure professions that will provide them will stable homes and lives. Meanwhile when we are young we often feel the urge to explore our creativity and passionate natures that don’t necessarily lead to stable employment. These are our heart yearning that our soul is here on Earth to fulfill.

So if you chose the safe and secure path urged by family and community, is that the end of the dream? Do you need a life of regret and stultifying sameness? Absolutely NOT! Every day is a crossroads in your life.

I do not encourage you to quit your job, leave your marriage and sell your house. You simply have to choose to incorporate in your life those things that make you happy that you thought you needed to leave behind when you chose the ‘safe’ path. The road not taken is still there. Your soul can satisfy its yearning for expression at any point in your life.

Many people walked away from their creativity and chose financially secure roads in our culture. Did you give up your dream of art? Grandma Moses didn’t begin painting until she was 80 years old. You can begin today. Take an art course at the local community college, art supply store, jewelry shop or pottery shed. Make your art a priority at home on weekends. Go to art seminars on vacations. Paint pictures or sculpt your partner and children. Take photos for your church group or the local conservation group. There is always an outlet for your creativity. It will bring you joy.

Over the years I have known people who have done the following in their 40s, 50s or 60s or older:
• Music–A friend who started piano lessons in her 50 because she always wanted to play. Another friend’s grandmother was taking lessons at 83 years old because she thought it would help the arthritis in her hands.
• Singing—Everyone has a voice and there are community and church choirs begging for voices to join in. You can learn the basics, try individual voice lessons or check out the local theater group for musicals if you want to perform.
• Travel–Parents took a hostel tour of Europe with their grade school son and he had a great time making friends everywhere with his soccer ball—the universal language of children.
• Film—a widow in her 50s took a film class, wrote, directed and produced a film that was shown at an international indie film festival and now is being distributed nationally.
• Living abroad—I know 2 Single women in their 50s with grown children, who began studying a foreign language and now live abroad part-time, something they never dreamed they would be able to do when young
• Acting—So you may not be the next Brad Pitt or Sandra Bullock but you can take an acting class at the local community college and impress the local or regional theater action with your stunning performance. Indie films are looking for older actors too.
• Writing—I published my first book in my 50s. With the advent of ebooks and self-publishing, creative writing has gotten a big boost.
• Creativity—If your life feels stale and boring, dust off those dreams you put aside as impossible and try again. You can still seek some form of fulfillment of those heart desires. You may not be the football quarterback but you can be buff and teach kids to kick the goals. So you can’t be a prima ballerina. You can do ballroom dancing.

If your heart still yearns for the road you didn’t take, then look around and discover where that road is now. In every Ancestral Lineage Clearing session, when the ancestor listened to their heart and took the right path at the crossroad, happiness and fulfillment occurred. You may never be the rock star you desired but you could be playing in the city café with a band of your own now and be a rock star to your kids. Your art could fill your home. Many people plan their retirement years to start dreams postponed from younger years.

Why wait? We dream every night. Make those dreams come true during the day after work or in your spare time. Begin now and then enlarge those desires as your space fills with dreams manifesting. Regrets are useless. Spirit wants to give us what we desire. Dream big and your life will expand to fill the dream.

Many Blessings for Peace, Prosperity, Happiness, Health, Love and Joy,
Ariann