Imagine your life as a path, a dirt road winding up a hill. You have to walk this road everyday to reach your destination. All around you the landscape is lush and green and fertile and teaming with life.
As you walk along the path enjoying the view of the lush green valley below, you trip over a large rock and land flat on your back. The breath has been knocked right of you. As you lay there, looking up at the clouds floating overhead, you consider your options. You stand up, brush yourself off, then move the rock to the side of the road and continue on your way.
The next day as you walk along the path, you notice that the hillside looks a little unstable. The wind and rain have left the land above the road eroded and it is in danger of coming down and destroying the road and everything on and around it. You are so busy looking at the danger of the hillside that you don't notice the loose gravel on the path and you slip and fall, knocking your head on a rock. A little dazed and not just a tad embarrassed, you look around to see if there is anybody else around who might have seen. Nobody is. So, you pick up the rock and move it to the side of the road next to the one from yesterday and begin to resume your journey. Then you stop and look back at the gravel. You think that maybe you should do something about it. You don't want anybody else slipping and getting hurt. So, you gather up the gravel and you put it on top of the rocks on the side of the road and you continue on your way.
The next day brings rain and wind. The road is muddy, but you know you must walk the path to reach your destination. You don your raincoat and galoshes, grab your umbrella and head on down the road. Sure enough, the path is a soggy, muddy mess. The rain has washed many rocks down the hillside and left them scattered across your path. You are tired and wet and cold, but you know you must clear the path in order to pass through. So you begin to move the rocks to the side of the road, one at a time. It takes all afternoon, but as you place the last rock on the pile the sun breaks through the clouds, leaving the landscape bathed in rays of sparkling light. You wipe your hands on your pants, smile, and continue on your way.
The next day you walk the path, breathing in deeply and filling your lungs with the fresh, rain-cleaned air. You are thinking about how beautiful everything looks after the rain. Suddenly, you notice a large boulder that has rolled down the hill and is now blocking the road so you cannot pass. You try pushing the boulder out of the way, but it will not move. You try climbing over the top of it, but it is too big. You try to walk around it, but there is no room. Just when you are about to completely give up hope and turn back or leave the road altogether and head down the hill to the farm in the valley below, you notice another traveller walking along your path. As he approaches, you call out to him for assistance. He agrees to help you, and together – with the aid of a large branch used for leverage - you push the boulder to the side of the road. You shake hands with your fellow traveller and thank him for his assistance, then continue on your way.
Each day you walk this path. Each day you are faced with new rocks and new boulders and new obstacles. And each day you move them to the side of the road. Then, one day, as you are walking along the path, you notice a beautiful rock wall that you have never noticed before. Each rock has been placed by hand and secured with gravel. At the center of this wall is a large boulder, propped against the hillside, holding back the erosive danger making the path safe for all who walk it. You smile, and continue on your way.
Alternate Story:
Imagine your life as a path, a dirt road winding up a hill. You have to walk this road everyday to reach your destination. All around you the landscape is lush and green and fertile and teaming with life.
As you walk along the path enjoying the view of the lush green valley below, you trip over a large rock and land flat your back. The breath has been knocked right of you. As you lay there, looking up at the clouds floating overhead, you consider your options. You stand up, brush yourself off, step over the rock and continue on your way.
The next day as you walk along the path, you notice that the hillside looks a little unstable. The wind and rain have left the land above the road eroded and it is in danger of coming down and destroying the road and everything on and around it. You are so busy looking at the danger of the hillside that you don't notice the loose gravel on the path and you slip and fall, knocking your head on a rock. A little dazed and not just a tad embarrassed, you look around to see if there is anybody else around who might have seen. Nobody is. You consider yourself very lucky that nobody saw you fall, but still you berate yourself for not paying better attention to what you were doing and make a half-hearted promise to yourself to do better next time. You carefully pick your way over the gravel and around the rocks and continue on your way.
The next day brings rain and wind. As you stand in your doorway looking out at the storm, you tell yourself that it would be smarter of you to just stay home in front the nice, warm fire where you will be dry and safe. You shut the door against the storm, fix a hot cup of tea, and settle in for the night.
The next day you walk the path, being very careful not to step in any of the mud puddles left by the rain. Suddenly, you notice a large boulder that has rolled down the hill and is now blocking the road so you cannot pass. You try pushing the boulder out of the way, but it will not move. You try climbing over the top of it, but it is too big. You try to walk around it, but there is no room. Just as you give up hope and turn around to leave, you notice another traveller walking along your path. You meet him halfway and inform him that there is a giant boulder blocking the path and that he will have to turn around and find another route because there is no getting around it. You continue on your way back from whence you came.
For the next several weeks you begin walking down the path only to find that nobody has come along to remove the boulder from the path. Not only that, but a giant mudslide has caused all the rocks and stones to bond together and this has created a giant rock wall firmly blocking the path from any who would pass. Finally, the day comes when you no longer venture out of your home. You may, on occasion, walk out into your yard to look up the path only to see that the wall is still there – and you return inside to watch a Nature program on television, or read a book about another man's adventure out in the world, and fall asleep without dreaming.
Another Alternate Story:
Imagine your life as a path, a dirt road winding up a hill. You have to walk this road everyday to reach your destination. All around you the landscape is lush and green and fertile and teaming with life.
As you walk along the path enjoying the view of the lush green valley below, you trip over a large rock and land flat your back. The breath has been knocked right of you. As you lay there, looking up at the clouds floating overhead, you consider your options. You stand up, brush yourself off, kick the rock with your foot, break your toe, swear loudly and scream to all who hear that the road is dangerous, that only a fool would walk it, and that you will never walk this path again. And you don't. You just sit there, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And the rains come and the winds blow and the hillside above succombs to the elements and a landslide roars down and buries everything in its destructive path – the road, the trees, the flowers, and you.
The End
copyright 2007 Leisl Bonell
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