I was in Dallas this past week and I stopped for Chinese food. The meal was excellent; beef fried rice with mushrooms, two egg rolls, and a bowl of Won – Ton soup on the side. That’s my go to meal. I rarely venture from that, maybe I should be bolder and try something new? I tend to keep it pretty safe when I am dealing with a menu from a foreign country. When the server bought the ticket, there were a couple of fortune cookies sitting on the tray. I was excited to crack one open and see what life has in store for me. My fortune read:

“The path of life shall lead upwards for you.”

I had to read it twice because I was not particularly excited about the news. Upward path? How about downward path? I don’t guess you ever break open a fortune cooking expecting bad news, but this tidbit of information gave me heartburn after my fine meal.

I am ready for the “it’s all downhill from here baby” time of life.

But then again, is it all in the interpretation? I know when I am hiking, walking downward is always easier than walking upward. But I also know I won’t reach the prettiest overlook points if I never walk upward.

Life takes work, and the path is not always well lit and paved with concrete. At times, at least from what I can tell, the path can be full of potholes, rocks and slick spots that can send one tumbling down onto their face.

Sometimes the footing is secure, and steps are clear; other times traction is bad, and each step taken is uncertain. Steps can be heavy at times, and it is difficult to place one foot in the other. But those steps do become lighter when I lean on the big three – family, faith, and friends.

I must keep putting one foot in front of the other on the path to where I want to go. That is how life works, anything worth the time and effort has a steep incline in the beginning, so maybe an upward path/struggle is the only way to become the person you want to be?

I stopped to get gas on the way out of town at a Seven -Eleven convenience store. I went inside to get a drink and there was a young girl that appeared to be around twenty years old working at the register. She was the only employee there and had a line of customers patiently waiting to pay out. The poor kid was “swamped” at no fault of her own. Sitting behind the counter on the ground were two of the cutest twins on the planet. I figured them to be around the age of five and they were wearing pajamas and cowboy boots. They were silently flipping through a book.

The customer in front of me asked the young lady if those were her children. She said they were and that her mother’s car wouldn’t start so she was not able to come babysit her kids.

I wasn’t sure what the man was going to do, but he looked over at the two children and then reached into his pocket and handed the young lady a money clip full of cash and said, “this is for you,” then walked out the door before she had a chance to respond.

She stood there, stunned, staring at the money that was just handed to her. I got a glance at it; all I saw was folded Benjamin Franklin’s.

I couldn’t help but think about my fortune cookie after witnessing that act of kindness. That young lady is on a path. One that is obviously riddled with difficult challenges, but it is a path upward because she is doing what she has to do to care for her family.

The man that showed generosity is also on a path, one that has led him to help others unconditionally. I had no way of knowing his path or the challenges he may have experienced along the way. but I’m sure he has a story – we all do.

Their paths crossed, and he helped her along her way. He helped her upward.

We are all on our own path. Obstacles are bound to appear and make it hard to move upward at times. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, help others along the way. By doing that, reaching the mountain top is inevitable.

“Don’t walk around the down and out. Lend a helping hand instead of doubt. And the kindness that you show every day. Will help someone along their way.”

Glen Campbell, – Try A Little Kindness.”

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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays. Email comments to [email protected].