Saturday, December 5, 2015

En Route


It's a while since I posted on here as I only do so if I think what I have to say is useful. Well, this morning during a period of reflection my mind went back to my teenage years. I've referred before to my experiences of mountain walking and this is another memory.
There was a group of us who used to go on a night hike once a year. Always the same walk; always the same time of year. Each June we used to hitchhike from Salford to Shap Village in the Lake District. Once everyone had arrived we would set out with only moonlight to show the way and follow a track past a farm and onto the fells. The sun would come up around four in the morning by which time we would be in the middle of nowhere, open moorland in all directions. Soon we would arrive at a beck with a footbridge. We stopped there for an early breakfast, then it was on again, climbing now before descending into the next valley, the next and a third. By now people were starting to get out of bed and get ready for the day; but not around us. We were still in the emptiness.
We knew where we were headed, of course. We knew we were making good progress. But also by now we were feeling the effort, tiring, but we still couldn't see our destination. It was hidden behind the twists and turns of the track, by more ridges ahead of us. We knew it was there but really, how much longer?
It struck me this morning that this analogy fits many of life's situations. Not least it describes the journey through mental ill health. As one of the Old Testament prophets put it, "How long, oh Lord? How long?" I don't know how long the journey will be for you. But I do know, from those night hikes, that you are on the right path and you will get there.

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