I’m a
firm believer that a long walk is good for the soul. A 26,000 foot-long walk,
200 feet above water is downright healing.
When I
was in high school, I had a somewhat rocky relationship with my father. I was a
“sassy” teenager and found nearly everything as a valid point of argumentation.
Needless to say, this left my dad and me in a few-too-many nose-to-nose arguments.
And the time we spent together was spent warily at best.
And then Labor
Day came along.
Each
fall, people from all across Michigan gather together on the first Monday of
September to walk across the largest suspension bridge in the Western
Hemisphere. And that year, on the first Sunday of September, my dad decided he
wanted to go. With me.
A couple
of hours in the car with my dad, alone, normally would have been enough to turn
me off. But I suppose this time my sense of adventure got ahead of me. And so I
went.
That
evening as we drove, we stopped to wade in lakes and froze our feet. We camped
out in the back of our van, sleeping bags unrolled, and the rest of us froze.
But our relationship began to thaw.
As we
walked across the bridge, I felt I crossed into a new me. Found a new
beginning. After that point, things began to get better. Not perfect, but
better.
I learned
I could enjoy my time with my dad. And over time, I found I could respect him.
I’ve been
to exotic places in my life. I’ve hiked mountains, climbed landslides, explored
waterfalls, crossed oceans. But that simple walk in a place that felt like home
changed me. And I couldn’t be more grateful.
I think that going on a journey in which we allow ourselves to be subject to nature (heat, cold, rain etc) and the limitations of our body opens our mind to a part of ourselves that gets shut down as we spend time in controlled environments and multimedia entertainment. We need to remember the animal inside of us and see how we relate to more than just the world of men right around us. I see that when we do so we become more attached to the communities and figures that really help us, even if they don't always work to please us.
ReplyDeleteGreat story of how exploration can help to solve problems, bringing a different setting to a familiar relationship. I think that most of us can find "bridges" in our lives where a certain setting or adventure has helped to change or better a relationship with a family member or friend. After reading your post this is clear to me, but before not so much. Great job in defining and applying this to the current topic of exploration.
ReplyDeleteRelationships are what count in the end. I guess we'll be stuck with our families forever so we better learn to like them! Sometimes I find myself feeling the same way about my family. Your story helps me know I'm not alone and things can get better. I guess Heavenly Father gives us families because He knows it can be rough and its the roughest parts of life where we learn the most.
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