The Path

Years ago, attending a semester at a college up north, in the New England area, not remembering what I studied, or the name of the place, I remembered one thing, a nature path near the college.

I set out one day to walk the whole trail, start to finish, but half way through I encountered an obstacle: thorn bushes with thorns en masse, making the trail almost impossible to walk, without great difficulty, meaning a lot of myself left behind with the thorns, if I do get through.

I shun pain, at least back then. I decided I would go back where I could cut through the woods and join the trail further up, bypassing the thorny bushes. It was good for a while until I was knee deep in a swamp. Not knowing what the swamp might contain I decided maybe the thorns weren’t too bad after all. Yes I did leave some of myself with the thorns, but I got to see, after making it through, a picturesque landscape of immense beauty. If I find a picture reminding me of it, I will post it.

I thought back, as I continued the trail, to my childhood, thinking how I barely made it through the pain. Pain where I wondered if I would make it to the next day, or even want to.

If it wasn’t for all the pain I would not have turned to G-d for help, having a religious awakening changing me so profoundly people commented on how I seemed to radiate peacefulness.

Trials and tribulations of my life have had their purpose and I look for no shortcuts around them, and neither should you. Face them head on.