Stepping Stones
Sometimes traveling through life appears to me as crossing a river. I am on one bank of the river, watching the water flow by, and I know I need to get to the other side. Some days I want to go, some days I question it, but I know that is the direction I must travel. The bank I am on is fine, resplendent with trees of security, flowers of familiarity and the green grass of status quo. It is fine. Only fine.
I can barely see the other side of the river but I just know it is lush. I have heard stories about the majestic mountains of purpose, lakes of adventure and amazing waterfalls of joy. I want to see it. I have to cross the river.
Ah, crossing the river... that risky period of time in which I will no longer be safely on one bank or the other.
If I give into temptation and look back as I am crossing, I could lose my footing and fall in the river. The current may carry me so far away that I never reach that part of the bank that I was trying for and I would never be able to go back to the bank I knew. These are the risks. My instinct tells me to keep my eye on the far shore, focused and honed in, but I know I will be tempted to turn for one last look at what I am leaving.
The safest and most sure route seems to be a direct one, on a solid footbridge that crosses the river where it is most narrow and the water runs most calmly. I have searched out that footbridge for months. I do not believe it exists, if it ever did.
What I have found are stepping stones, slippery and precarious, barely visible beneath the water flowing over them. I have attempted a few times to cross but every time I get a few feet across, I cannot find the next stone in the path and have to return the way I came. I am getting frustrated and weary. All I want is to cross that river and get to the other bank. I do not mind getting wet. I do not mind it taking longer than I thought it would.
I just want to cross.
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Reader Comments (4)
I know the feeling! Very effective images.
I think perhaps you need to find a boat.
There are more ways to cross a river than a bridge or stepping stones. There are boats and rope swings and even shallow places where you can wade across. Maybe if you stop attempting to use the stepping stones and quit looking for the bridge you'll see another way. It's hard to do once you've got your mind set on something, but I find that often the solution comes to me when I stop actively looking for it...
Love this and the imagery of it!
This was so beautiful! You have perfectly summed up, in your always eloquent and effective way, exactly how I feel. I am right there with you.
"Ah, crossing the river... that risky period of time in which I will no longer be safely on one bank or the other. "
That is, indeed, a scary place to be - but I believe it will be worth it.
May all of us find our ways across.