Weekly Bread #156

I have said more times than I can remember, in sermons and in conversations, that if you really need to get somewhere, it doesn’t matter how you go. Run, walk, roll, and if necessary, crawl. I was mainly speaking metaphorically about engaging in the work for justice, but this week, I actually lived the words. Not that it was anywhere I needed to go, but I took a “shortcut” social trail to avoid a busy bike path. It looked easy enough from below and was only a tenth of a mile. No problem, right? Half way up I panicked because the path kept getting steeper and my boots were slipping in the mud. I did what I have done before and used my hands as well as my feet for awhile. Then I got tired and got on my knees to slowly crawl up the hillside. I probably should have just turned around and slid back down on my rear end, but no, something made me keep going up. At times I got so tired I just lay all the way down in the grass and mud to rest. I am proud of my determination, but it could have been better placed. It was a trail I never should have tried, particularly since there was a much easier route.

My knees got raw and scraped, even through my hiking pants, and I was pretty exhausted from the effort. Still, I managed to do another few miles that day, but let me say now that crawling is way harder than walking. Try it if you don’t believe me. I am not sure how infants do it. I guess they sleep a lot – which I did that night. It is a full body work out to go more than a few feet.

There are trails that shouldn’t be taken, and hills we cannot climb. Accept the things we cannot do, and do what we can, is part of the message. But even when it’s hard, hopeless doesn’t feel like an option to me. I will struggle on the best way I can, always looking for the easiest (and most beautiful!) path that will get me to where I need and want to go.

So many lessons to learn. Metaphors save me every time.

L’Chaim!

My average weight this week is up .5 pounds for a total loss of 161.7.