Saturday, July 26, 2008

Wrong Turn


Early this morning, my daughter (#3) and I went for a long run. As we approached Trump National Golf Course, we decided to take the trail along the coast for a change. As we ran along the cliff over looking the water it was beautiful. Then we came to a folk in the road. We both knew the easier path was along the top of the cliff but we took the path leading down to the beach. It was great for the first five minutes...then the sand became soft and we started to sink with every step...greatly increasing our effort. Finally after about 10 minutes we started up the cliff face back to the overhead path.

It was tough going. The switch backs and rutted path seemed to sap every ounce of energy. I grunted out a word of what I thought was encouragement only to have my daughter snap at me in her frustration. The next miles were filled with the silence of our feet on the pavement. When we finished at home, my daughter smiled and gave me a hug saying..."That was a tough run."

The simplicity of those words expressed it all. In life we all make wrong turns that end up making life a little tougher for us and those around us. But if we can push through to the end...take the heat...let silence be there...then in the end...it is as they say "All Good."

In my work, I see people everyday that expect life to be easy, as if it should be easy, and then when it is not they are mad at God and others. Often they are quick to blame the difficulties to the actions of others. My proposal to them and to all of us is that of Benjamin Franklin: "That which doesn't kill, instructs." It is our responsibility to push through and make ourselves a little bit stronger, smarter and improve our character.

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