TODAY is shifting sand.

Have you ever stood at the edge of the ocean right as the waves begin to recede? If you have, you know the odd phenomenon that takes place. For some reason, even though you are standing perfectly still, it feels as though you are moving farther and farther away from the water. Then, once the receding waves rejoin the rest of the ocean, you realize you haven’t moved at all. Usually you’re left standing in the sunken impressions of your own feet, proving that it was not you that moved but the waters around you.


Have you ever watched a movie (I know you have) where the main character suddenly falls into a pit of quick sand? For some reason, I always wanted to encounter quick sand like that as a kid. I felt so sure that if I was ever in Indiana Jones’ position, I’d know exactly what to do to pull myself up. But apparently it was never that easy. The harder Jones tried to pull himself out, the deeper he’d sink. The more he moved, the further he’d fall. And no matter how wary he may have been, he always seemed to find his foot stuck in some kind of natural trap—a foundation feigning sturdy security but offering nothing but sinking sand.

I’ve just come to realize that life is a whole lot like that.

I always thought that at some point, I would step out of the sinking sand and be able to walk on something concrete. I thought that once I hit a certain point of maturity, I’d know exactly who I was. And everyone I knew would know me for who I thought I was (if you can follow that logic). Decisions would be easy. Bank accounts would be sure. My future would be decided. If I wanted to pursue my own path, the ground would hold me up along the way. If I wanted to stand still, I wouldn’t budge.

But life is shifting sand.

Now that I’ve become an adult with a certain amount of influence and responsibility, I am realizing that my contemporaries are just as unsure as I am. I’m finding that no two people will ever fully agree on anything. No one way ever comes to the exact conclusion previously projected. My decisions will propel me toward a certain destination, yes, but I might not get there exactly how I imagined. Plans fall through. People change. I change. Even if I decided to never alter my actions or attitude, to never move, to always do what I am currently doing, there is no way to keep my circumstances from shifting right below my feet. Like standing on the edge of the ocean, my situation moves and I can’t help but feel the effects. And when I decide to change my circumstances, there’s no sure path without hidden sand traps along the way.

This is NOT a message of defeat or failure. It IS a message of adventure. A realization leading to relief, the realization that there’s no perfect plan without trials or mishaps. If you haven’t gotten the sand to stand firm beneath you, you’re in good company. You are not the only one feeling the tides changing around you! You are not the only one who has to take four steps back for every two you take forward. That’s life. That’s TODAY. It’s shifting sand, no matter how you look at it.