So let’s say I’m hiking in a forest.
I actually wouldn’t hike in a forest.
I don’t heart bugs…
and there are lots of bugs in a forest.
I’m more of a desert hiker.
I’m sure bugs are there too…
But mom always said…
“Out of sight, out of mind”.
Thank you mom.
Anyway, I don’t heart bugs like I don’t heart asparagus.
I get that they’re important…
(bugs and certain gross veggies)…
and I can accept them, but…
I don’t want to know they’re…
…there…
you know?
It’s like how I don’t heart eggs…
but there are eggs in pancakes…
and pancakes are pure nom plus more nom!
As long as I can’t taste the “eggy” taste of the eggs, I don’t so much mind them being in the pancakes. It’s the same for spinach and broccoli…but not cabbage…
because the gross-ness of cabbage cannot be disguised.
Anyway…
let’s say I’ve been hiking in the Grand Canyon, which I’ve done.
By the way, on your next visit to the Grand Canyon, I recommend hiking all the way down to the bottom, and then, of course, back up to the top. I did it in one day, and that’s a little labor intensive, but you can camp at the bottom. And if you really want the easy route, there are helicopters and donkeys available to get you from point A to B and back again.
The rangers told me that the average visit there is 10 to 20 minutes.
People come…
they gaze…
take a picture like this…
…then they hit the gift shop…
and drive merrily away.
But the canyon is a miracle to behold if you take it a step at a time.
I know that a life storm can be a miracle too
if I (we) toil through its labyrinth…
We can grow in ways we’d never expect…even sideways, seemingly right out of stone.
And if I see with better eyes…light will sometimes hit certain spots at certain angles…and …
And after a storm there can be, just like at the bottom of the Grand Canyon…sweet water.
Anyhoo…
I remember once making my way down the canyon…
choosing a trail because the map said it had…
fewer hikers. ƪ(◠‿◠)╯
But at the start…
peering down that harrowingly narrow path…
steep as the fun part of a roller coaster…
I was suddenly petrified by the realization that there were…
…fewer hikers ! ¯\(°_o)/¯
Then I braved the seemingly guaranteed death wish and tip toed down the first bit of the trail. Surprisingly the fear kinda went away. There’s a post in that I think.
Anyhoo…
I promise I have a purpose in this incoherent rambling diversity of points…
I’ve been thinking about ways to survive the stormy part of living.
There are better ways to deal with a storm of life…
and not such “better” ways…
I heart this picture...so sad...so determined...so...us.
The way of the eagle is to steal the power from a storm of life.
And then, there is “a time to fly and a time to flock” while in a storm.
Thank you Tara for writing that so well in your comment that I had to steal it. (◠‿◠)
And I’m now considering the way of finding shelter in a life storm…
And thus…
the hiking drama about to unfold…
next time…
I’ve kept you long enough already…
Please come back
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Oh, I was so ready for more! Please hurry back!
thank you, Nancy. In the middle of writing this, I was struck by the fact that one set of the ways of getting through storms so far has been ascending. Now this one is descending. And as I wrote this reply to you it it me that there has also horixontoal ways, (shelter and the poor little bird in the picture). And all the ways apply while “toiling through the labyrinth of a trial”. On the way down then the Grand Canyon walls – there was this point where I watched a hawk ride the up draft of the canyon and hovered without waiving its wings about 15 feet away from me – it looked like it was levitating – so the way the Eagle while “toiling through”. WOuldn’t have put that together without you (◠‿◠) thank you.There is more to this than I thought – going to stick with it for a little bit and see what I can. mine. Again, thank you Nancy, and God bless and keep you.
Right now, I have another window open in the background — the live cam that is in the tree where the Decorah, IA eagles are raising their babies. I hear thunder in the background, and am wondering what they will do. Right now, they don’t seem to care. I’ve watched this pair raise two batches of little eaglets. She has sat on her eggs through storms, snow covered herself, but faithful and true as as Mom could ever be. I’ve seen her defend her nest against preditors, and I’ve seen terrible winds sway that tree back and forth. But there they are, all honkered down. I just love it, but sometimes I can’t watch. Makes me too anxious for them.
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
You got me so into this “storms of life” thing. I actually dug out a Bible study I’ve had sitting around entitled that. You have me wondering if I navigated myself through my storms correctly, or if I need some adjustments to my plan. When I think about it, it seems that I just planted my feet and took the blows as they came and if they knocked me over, I just picked myself up again, and again, and again. Not sure that was the best. I’d much rather fly with the eagles than get chased by preditors in the bottom of the canyon!
And I’d rather be in the forest than in the desert.!!!!!
Cora! And there are no posts describing this? There’s so much in that – you could bring that all out – I want to be first in line if you do write those posts. GOOD stuff! And I’ve done what you have done during storms – the whole weeble wobbling but not falling down thing. And there are lots more ways to get through storms that I can think of – or you. We’ve probably done nearly all of them – clearly the best one is the way of the Eagle.
And I guess as long as you can handle the bugs – the forest is a nice place to be. I’ll take the desert for hiking, please and thank you. (◠‿◠) God bless you Cora!
Brother Craig, I so agree that storms can be miraculous–for the strength they transfer as we come through them. I’m always glad–afterward. Laughing at you not liking asparagus–I just cooked some lovely fresh last night, doused them with red wine vinegar to marinate, and will eat some later today–guess I won’t have to share, now!! God bless your weekend. sis Caddo
Ah, this reminds me of physics in high school – and how energy is never created – just always transferred from one form to another – except there was a time when there was no energy in the universe – because the universe wasn’t here – because something was created out of nothing – which IS a miracle by any standard. And, my friend, I’m so happy that because I eat NO asparagus – YOU can eat more! The whole balance of the universe thing. And I’m just really generous that way (◠‿◠) you know? God bless you my sister!
Man, I had the giggles through the first half of this one! 😀 And I can sooooo relate to that lil bird getting pelted by snow bullets. I can also relate to splashing in those streams. Great post, as always.
and that “stream” is the mighty Colorado river 🙂
…and cabbage smells like rotten socks.
The end.
THE END – I didn’t think I’d get anyone to agree with me – I thought all you mamas were in the “eat all your veggies” crowd. 🙂
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