Sometimes all we need is a little explosion to wake us up. Last week I noticed that my bicycle seemed to be functioning at a slower than normal pace. Rather than considering the relevant factors that might be slowing me down (such as the strong headwind and my lack of energy) I was quick to blame old Mabel (my omafiets, for those of you who are not yet acquainted with my bike). Although my back tire did not appear to be leaky, I pumped it full of a little extra air anyways... thinking that it would only make me go faster, faster! Suddenly an image of exploding rubber flashed before my mind's eye. Ignoring this thought, I hopped on my bike and cycled towards work. You can imagine my lack of surprise when ten minutes later a dramatic BOOM! echoed through the Vijzelstraat, halting my newly discovered momentum.

I found myself analyzing this situation with the much clearer hindsight of retrospect. I should have listened to my gut feeling. Why didn't I consider the bigger picture? Looking for the easy solution just cost me 40 euros. There is something to be said for appreciating a slower pace of life. And so on and so on...

If life is a journey, there are surely signs that lead us down certain paths. I think these signs take various shapes, such as images, waves of instinctual feelings, and even people that come into our lives. The example of my exploding bike tire is insignifigant in the grander scale of life, yet was an important reminder to listen to the signs that are there to guide us if we pay attention to them. I can't tell you what these signs are, but if you are conscious of yourself and keep your eyes open, you will know them when you see them. We are almost always able to recognize them after the fact, when we think about crucial turning points or decisions that brought us from point A to B.

The last novel that I read sparked my interest in the storytelling technique of foreshadowing, in terms of the author's choice to employ subtle or more direct hints that help shape our understanding of a narrative as it unfolds. Our instictive reactions to people or situations that we encounter can also be considered a part of our internal compass, although they can at times be proven wrong. When the feeling is strong, don't ignore it even though you might not be able to explain it!

Our own quest for happiness is also formed to some degree by the presence of important themes and cautionary tales that reappear in our lives. We all have different puzzle pieces that come together to create our personal picture of happiness. This is often formed by how we percieve the relationships around us. I will never forget the day that my Sociology of the Family professor asked us to share a cautionary tale with the rest of the class. We were reading case studies of 8 different married couples and discussing how each partner brought a certain fear or qualifier into the relationship, based on the observation of their own parent's relationship. Certain themes were hanging over their heads, guiding them either towards or away from particular behaviours. One person was dedicated to being an involved father, because of the traumatic relationship he had with his own dad, while another woman was obsessed with professional success because she felt that her own mother had made too many sacrifices for the family. I found this to be a useful exercise in terms of recognizing personal priorities, and how they can stem from what we have been exposed to as children.

Identifying the cautionary tales that exists in our own lives may serve as a useful starting point for thinking about what we think will make us happy, or unhappy. Cautionary tales are typically present in children's stories that are out to teach a moral. If you do A, then B will happen, and you don't want it to. This premonition is often used to warn the reader or viewer of a potential danger, leaving one with the sense of a lesson learned. Everytime we make a mistake or go through a difficult experience we add to our own repertoire of cautionary tales. What themes do you think guide your own behaviour?