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Word Count: 664 Category:Inspiration/Motivation

A TRIP TO SUCCESS By: Arleen M. Kaptur

Today's the day - our bags are packed and we are on our way. Our destination is SUCCESS. Our car has enough ENTHUSIASM in the tank and we checked our 4 MOTIVATION tires to make sure they are ready for the road. Our map is clearly marked and we even brought a snack bag filled with cans of PURPOSE and SPIRT as well as assorted snacks named GOALS and PASSION. We double-checked with our insurance carrier, RESEARCH, and we are ready to roll!

The day is bright and sunny and the road itself is a beautiful ribbon of smooth concrete. Driving conditions are perfect and the scenery is breathtaking. We come across our first road sign just up ahead. It reads TRY ONLY ONCE - THEN STOP HERE. We decide to keep driving. But now the road is getting rougher and the scenery is starting to get a little bleaker. The clouds seem to be building up and it looks like rain is in the forecast. We keep on going.

There's a motel to the right with some cars around it. It's called THE DESERTED DREAMS MOTEL. There's also a restaurant on the left called THE BAR OF LOST HOPE. We have our snack pack so we keep on going.

We are trying to beat the storm that is fast approaching. We notice a lot of abandoned vehicles along the roadway, They seem dusty and old. We hit a huge pothole and our car shakes a little.We decide to pull into a service station called DETERMINATION. They check out our vehicle and we are on our way again. The road is now mostly gravel and the turns are getting narrower. It is rough and bumpy and our car is finding it hard to maneuver some of the twists.

A very large building is just ahead. It appears dark and foreboding. There are no lights on but a lot of cars and people are there. The sign says WECOME TO THE HOUSE OF OBSTACLES. COME AND STAY AWHILE WITH US. We keep on going.

Now there are a lot of people on the side of the road. Some are pointing at us and some are laughing. A few are throwing stones, but we incur no damage. A troop of SPIRIT is fielding the stones so they never touch us.

The storm is right on top of us. It started with rain, and now there is lightening and thunder. We are pelted with hail and the road is slippery and winding. There are some dark, dismal buildings alongside our road. They have signs-DISTRUST, APATHY AND DISCOURAGEMENT. They are run-down, with broken windows and weeds growing all around.

There is a roadside turn-around with a lot of track marks going in and coming out. The signs reads: DOUBT-TURN AROUND HERE AND GO HOME. We pass it by just as a car makes a turn and heads on back to wherever they came from. The road is now just a slit of what it was. The clouds seem to be giving way and little specks of sunshine are beginning to glisten in the raindrops.There is a clean scent in the air - spring rain - an aromatic delight of fields and flowers. Then we see it - a rainbow - but not just any rainbow. This one has every color you could imagine. It is spread across our road like an arch and it is the most breathtaking rainbow we have ever seen. Just past the rainbow we come to a town sign: YOU ARE ENTERING THE TOWN OF SUCCESS- DON'T JUST VISIT - STAY WITH US. We have arrived. We are safe and we are here. We are a little tired so we decide to rest at the hotel called GRATITUDE. We'll also grab something to eat at an inn called APPRECIATION. We have reached our destination. ©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, e-books, and the novel: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES Websites: http://www.rusticliving.info http://www.arleenssite.com http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/index.html