Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDLXX

Two of my favorite places: Lincoln Parish Park, Ruston, LA and Monte Sano Mountain, Huntsville, AL. That's because I love to hike challenging trails. There is one slight little issue I have to deal with when I'm on those trails however, and that's the fact that since I may be just a little clumsy, I have a tendency to trip and fall when I'm traversing tricky terrain. Two weeks ago when I was on one of those trails, although I didn't fall, I tripped at least five times, and the realization hit me as to why it was happening. I also thought it may be worth sharing, and I later got a confirmation on that idea, so here goes: Sometimes there are some extremely steep climbs and descents on those trails. There may be places on the trails where a large limb has fallen across the path. There may be some tricky creek crossings where we have to step from rock to rock to get across. There are areas where large boulders have to be stepped over or maneuvered around. Yes, I encounter some or most of those situations practically every time I hike one of those trails, but the fact is, I rarely get tripped up by any of the things I just mentioned. They're big, they're clearly visible, sometimes even with a little warning sign that alerts us as to what we're about to encounter. Then what is it that makes me stumble? It's little things: A small root just an inch or so high. It's a small rock that's mostly buried in the dirt with only a tiny portion of it sticking out of the ground. It may be a small dip in the trail that's only a couple inches deep. As I was saying, it dawned on me as I was on the trail what the cause of my frequent tripping really was, and as I thought about it, I decided to write on that topic. What I consider to be my confirmation that I was on target with the idea came the next morning at church when my pastor discussed the same topic in his sermon. Think about it. The big issues are clearly visible, and we usually see them coming ahead of time, so we put forth our best efforts to work through them. Then someone says a word that rubs us the wrong way, and we explode. Often we will build something up in our minds and we let our imagination run wild, and the next thing we know, we've turned a molehill into a mountain, or a crawfish mound into a volcano. So many times we'll let careless words by a friend cause more damage to our friendship than some major infraction. I remember a friend from a few years back who, at two different times, had a nice looking young man make a bold attempt at luring her into an adulterous relationship, and both times she resisted the advances, only to fall prey to a family friend who spoke softly and smiled just the right way when he was around her, and the end result was a broken marriage. (Actually two broken marriages, since the man's marriage failed also.) She easily avoided the earlier obvious attempts to lead her astray, yet she allowed the more subtle movements from a good friend to sneak up on her, catching her off guard. Small stones and tiny roots on level ground are more likely to cause me to trip and fall than large boulders and limbs on steep descents, and it's because they "sneak up on me" while I'm on the lookout for the big, obvious pitfalls. However, it would also be wise on my part to realize those tiny obstacles are on every path I walk....not just on the wooded trails. Preston