When the path isn’t clear…
I thought I knew where I was going. There was the beginnings of deer track, with steps leading off the picnic area but as I stepped up to it considering the uphill climb and whether I was up for it today, I heard the warning “CAW, CAW, CAW” from my crow friend. (Yeah, I’m friends with certain critters, some more than others). I flapped my hand in the direction of his noise and said out-loud “Yeah, Yeah, I hear you, it will be fine, geesh” and continue under the branches and up the slope. I rather quickly found out. I should have listened to Mr. Crow. sighs…
Going downhill on pine needles is a bit dicey in the shoes I was wearing (they are’t hiking boots, this was an unplanned hike) so I decided Uphill it was. I came upon a split in the land. There were raspberry vines (thorns, long ones) everywhere and spongey ground beneath them. Hrm, I guess I’m climbing. Well, yeah. I grabbed the grass and a few thorns and pulled myself up onto my knees, panting. Dang! when did this get so hard/scary?, I thought to myself. My heart was rocketing in my chest. I realized I hadn’t really pushed myself “off the path” in a long, long time.
I kept moving forward. Every turn lead to another patch of yet higher thorny vines. I looked back. Nope, no going that way. I spent a few moments considering how I found myself here. I remembered the small meditation I had done before climbing up this hill. My short conversation with one of them (he was a tall spindly sort, not entirely sure which plant/tree he came from). Sigh. I should have known. That path looked just too enticing and an easy way up to the path that runs across the mountain. Fae glamour. Sigh again.
Well, now I was good and stuck. Couldn’t go down, I’d get thorns in my backside to match the ones in my knees. The patches ahead were taller than my neck. I whined in my head “help!”
Thank goodness for intuitive family members.
Along comes M, I wave at her and holler “help!, I’m stuck”, and she looks at me and says “I don’t know how to get you out!” and thus we went back and forth until she managed to get close enough to talk me through to a path she could see from above that I couldn’t see from below.
Ah, the messages in this tale.
Trying new things can be scary, heart thumping scary. It’s ok, you’ll survive.
It’s hard to see where you are going when you are in the middle of it.
It really helps to have an outside view from higher up to guide your way.
Cherish those who can hear your silent pleas for help, they are rare and beautiful. ❤
SoulHiking 