On Pathways

On the Inca Trail

Our lives are frequently elated by the presence of a new pathway: the beginning of a new strand that unfolds unannounced, when least expected, catching us unawares. Such paths carry some sort of deliciousness ingrained in the nuances of the “unknown” that defines their essence, but they are not always welcomed with the gratitude they deserve. They make their appearance with the persistence of the proverbial bad penny, often causing frustration instead of relief, for we long to linger in the comfort of the plateau that we have just conquered, and we are not looking forward to continuing an arduous ascent. And, yet, these paths reveal themselves only as a reply to a silent request – a prayer we may not have dared to utter, a spell we did not know we had mastered so proficiently. They appear when we need them the most and, despite our discomfort and exasperation, they grace and ennoble our existence, as they invariably bring meaning and purpose, growth or, even, salvation.

For many years I wished to pay tribute to the concept of the untrodden path. Hence, here I share a collection of photos that act as a visual and tangible reminder of the various forms a new beginning may take.

There are paths that are steep and scary… (Photo: Great Wall of China)

…and others that are smooth and colourful (Photo: on a tributary of the Amazon River in Peru)

There are paths carved in the snow… (Photo: on the Everest Base Camp trail in Nepal)

…and others that are shaped on the fast-changing sand (Photo: the sand dunes of Morocco)

Some paths are opened by the forces of nature … (Photo: an elephant opens her way through the jungle of Chitwan in Nepal)

…and others are blocked by the same natural forces (Photo: a road is blocked by an elephant in the Yala National Park of Sri Lanka)

The spirituality of some trails is defined by humans… (Photo: Agios Symeon Monastery in Sifnos)

…and in others, it is defined by Life itself. (Photo: hatchling finding its way towards the sea in Oman)

Some paths turn into bridges… (Photo: Bridge of Aziz Aga in Grevena, Greece)

…and others, into gorges. (Photo: in Petra, in Jordan)

Some paths are lonely… (Photo: Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris)

… and others are festive. (Photo: Champs Elysees at Christmas)

Some paths you can see from above… (Photo: Bucharest from the aeroplane)

… and others, you have to walk down the stairs to find them. (Photo: the Baptism Site in Jordan)

Finally, some paths are covered in mud… (Photo: Sapa region, Northern Vietnam)

… while others are made of rivers… (Photo: Floating market in Thailand)

… and others are defined by the open sea. (Photo: sailing at sunrise under the Rio-Antirio bridge in Greece)

Photo credits: © Konstantina Sakellariou.

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