Two Trees, Two Destinies: Psalm 1

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.

Picture two paths diverging at dawn. One path is crowded—voices calling, laughter echoing, the easy camaraderie of those who have abandoned restraint. The other path is quieter, less traveled, sometimes lonely.

The progression is subtle: walking, standing, sitting. First you walk alongside them—just passing through, you tell yourself. Then you stop to stand with them—not participating, just observing. Then you sit down—you've arrived, you belong, you're home among mockers.

Blessed is the one who never starts that progression.