The Middle Path

I have always envisioned the Middle Path as repeatedly interrupted with forks, where I have had to choose the right way through a dark forest ahead. Many times, I have picked the wrong fork, and I have had to double back and try another. In fact, I'm not quite sure if I am on the Middle Path right now, but I am eagerly seeking it with each footstep. I must share a revelation about this path I am on, whether it be Middle or other. It seems that all the paths I encounter now at age 55 are climbing upward at a steeper and steeper grade. No matter what branch I take, they get rockier and steeper without fail. So I humbly advise those of you who are still encountering flat terrain, please exercise harder and harder each day mentally, physically and emotionally. Seek mindful, compassionate detachment in everything you do. Enjoy what you can, but do not let your enjoyment own you. That attachment to enjoyment will feel like carrying an elephant on your back when your path gets steeper.