Not far enough

It’s a beautiful day here in Madison. It’s been a snowy winter but today is one of those days filled with hope. The sky is blue and clear, the sun is shining…this morning the hoarfrost on the trees against the sky was breathtaking.

So my friend Mary and I decided to take a walk on this bright shiny afternoon and we chose a new neighborhood to explore. We had to drive to get there. So we parked the car and just started walking and talking. We made note of the street we’d parked on but beyond that the conversation was just too engaging to notice much else.

The neighborhood was so lovely, with old sweeping houses and lots of ancient trees. Amazing in any season but the stark contrast of the black bare trees against the snow and the backdrop of these gorgeous homes was awesome. We walked and talked for quite awhile and then decided to head back to the car.

We walked down the street we’d parked on but…no car. We walked a little further, nothing. We looked at the street names, the guideposts but they were only vaguely familiar. We began to turn back but then stopped and decided to give it just one more block, just in case. There, on the next block, we could see the car parked behind another.

“You know,” Mary remarked, “here we were thinking we were lost but all the while we were on the right road. We just gave up too early.” Wow. I looked at her and admired her apt metaphor and we began to think about all of the times one could use that. I mean, how many times do we get going on something and give up when what was really needed was to travel just a little further down the road?

 

6 Responses

  1. Thank you for posting about your blog. I will add you to my list of reads and I will look forward to hearing what is going on with you. Have a wonderful weekend. Glad to be your friend, Michelle

    1. Thanks, Michelle! I need to add your blog to my list as well! Always fun to see what you’re working on! And so glad to be your friend too! Margaret

  2. In 12 step circles there is a saying “don’t quit before the miracle happens.” And then in that silly movie I watched yesterday “Wanderlust”, the husband and wife are fighting and he’s berating her for never seeing anything through to the end and I remember the feelings of self condemnation in the moments I realize that about myself. It seems like anything really worth having doesn’t come for those people who can’t hang in there past the point when 99 % would give up. I hate having to be a super hero just to arrive at my heart’s desire. I’m tired of it. And yet, you so clearly state the result of not keeping on. We might have wandered around for hours that day.

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