Friday we accidentally went 18 miles. We were originally planning on going 13 miles, but after reaching that goal we decided to go 3 more miles to the next camp site. Sadly we were out of water an there was no water at that campsite. So we had to go 2 more miles to get to water and a campsite. Overall the day was easy. Just a difficult climb at the end. This stuff is difficult compared to the Smokies. We followed the ridge line on the Smokies which was overall flat. Sometimes it felt like we were walking in Ohio... until I looked both left and right and saw that we were 5,000 ft above the valleys below. Since getting out of the Smokies we hike up a mountain and then back down. No more following ridges.
Today, Saturday, we only went 13 miles. After walking 3 miles, we came to a road with some trail magic. Pancakes, cookies, fruit, hot chocolate, soda, coffee, eggs, orange juice, and Oreos were waiting for us. If I would have known this I would have skipped breakfast. Oh well. We call it "second breakfast". After eating we had a hard time walking again, but we completed the next 10 miles crossing beautiful bald mountains and lush green valleys with rivers. The trees are beginning to bud and the flowers are blooming. This takes me to what I've been thinking a lot about on this trip.
We see a 2 foot wide trail 95% of the time when we are hiking. Nothing special. Just some dirt with some rocks and roots. We are so focused on not tripping and staying on the right path. This is good, otherwise I would be splattered at the bottom of a cliff. However; since I'm looking straight down most of the time I miss the beauty what's around me I miss seeing the colorful flowers. I overlook the obvious grand mountains towering around us. I miss looking up the river to the raging waterfall. And I'm sure I'm blind to the animals around me. I've seen some deer and squirrels but I'm sure I've missed many more deer and squirrel, possibly bear and other animals just because I'm too focused on the trail. I've realized that I need to stop more often and enjoy the beauty around me. I think this can be a lesson for all of us. So often we are so busy with life. We focus on everyday chores, making sure we get ahead and not fall behind. By doing this we miss the important things in life, the beautiful things around us. Family, friends, hobbies, a relationship with God. Just as I need to stop for a few minutes on the trail to enjoy the beauty around me, I also need to take a break from everyday life and enjoy the important things in life. The blessings that God has given me. I'm not saying that we should just sit in one place and watch the same flower or the same mountain our whole life. We do need to focus on the path that God placed us on and make sure we don't trip or lose the path. But we do need to stop on the path and enjoy family, friends, relaxation, and our relationship with Jesus... the blessings that God has given to us to enjoy. God loves it when we are happy. Don't ignore this blessings.
This reminds me of a song the the Beitzel's sing often. "Count your blessings". Take 5 minutes and count your many blessing. Try it! Name them one by one. It's amazing how quickly you can think of them. My amazing wife Danae, my parents, my siblings, my friends, chocolate, flowers, water, trail magic, Jesus, sleeping bag, sleep, iphone... I could go on forever.
Stop, look around, and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment