If you weren’t born with a silver spoon in your mouth, or had things handed to you on a silver platter, then at least some part of your life has been a struggle. We desire things to come easy. Life isn’t meant to be that way.
As infants and toddlers, we struggle to learn the basic foundations of life. How to walk, to eat, to say those first words.
As students we must learn how to fit in or stand out proudly. We have to get an education so to know how to function and how things around us function.
As adults we need careers, families, a social life
.As senior adults, we need to remember, how to walk with stability, to take care of ourselves, to continue to live a fulfilling life.
Yes, that is a very condensed listing, but it gives the introduction to the point I hope to make.Life is not easy, it isn’t meant to be easy. If everything was simply handed to us, we would not grow. Every struggle, every challenge takes us one step farther than were we started out. We gain more physical, mental and emotional, strength.
My own struggles are no worse nor no less than anyone else’s struggles for they are each our own and can only be measured by our personal progress.I am seeing progress.I began to work on my project this morning but that closed door kept distracting me. Then I got a message from someone I had not spoken with in a while. She wanted to ask one question, but then we got off on the topic of being empathic and the conversation lasted a while.
When the conversation ended, I got my ever faithful companion Bella and we headed for the mountain. I needed distance. I would have thought that after all the times I have been to the mountain these hikes would be getting easier but my leg muscles still scream every time. It didn’t help that today was warmer than I thought. We did make it, along the way speaking to other hikers and enjoying the hike even through the struggle. The view from the top always worth the effort. I gave Bella a drink, took a few photos and then we headed back down. We didn’t pass as many people on this trail but those we did we shared greetings with and kept walking.
Once we got home I let Bella rest and I worked on the manuscript. Yes, my project is a manuscript. A quick read through, a few changes and then more fresh writing. I am trying to do this partial first draft then will print it out, if my printer cooperates, and then decide what quotes and other information I want to add to the sections. I will be leaving space to hand write in the additions.
In the back of my mind though was the knowledge that I had not reached my ten thousand step goal. Saving what had been written I went out to my little walking circle and began making laps. I also talk a lot, but softly. My son calls this my thinking circle, it has become more of a prayer circle. I am still struggling with a lot of things, the loneliness being the worse, and that is what I am hoping the project will help with. That, prayer, friends, and a closed door. After I came back inside, I was gifted with a surprise. A phone call from a long time, friend I haven’t spoken with in months. She too, is a widow and has an understanding of all the emotions. The fact we have known each other for so long makes our conversations easier. We each talked, we talked over each other, we shared, we laughed at our experiences, and we ended the extended conversation feeling much better.
I’m learning, this journey, is not meant to be easy. We are meant to struggle, we are meant to fight our way, we are meant to claw through, break through, climb our way over, what ever dares to get in the way. When we do that, we can look back and smile. We did it. We may have felt moments of defeat, but gifts like phone calls, can give you that extra bit of strength needed to push on through. And that view from the other side, is always worth it.
Words from The Dirt Road 