Why I Hike

This summer I had the opportunity to go hiking with the Activity Day girls. Thirteen girls ages 8-11, all giggly and happy with the unknown just up ahead. We started with a prayer and as we all gathered close one of the girls who had been on many hikes with her family, had some advice to offer.

"When it starts to get hard, just say over and over in your head, 'I can do hard things' and it will keep you going.

Then she added,

"I know I can do hard things because I have done them before."

She's ten and had just taught the #1 lesson of the day.

The first hour went pretty good with a lot of chatter, laughter and small detours up rocks and down to the stream. After that there began to be a distinct separation between those who wanted to make it to the end and those that did not. So we split up, I went on ahead and the other leader stayed behind.

It wasn't a really hard hike, but many of these girls had never done anything like this before and it required a lot of determination, and they were definitely determined to make it to the end. I say end, because the hike ended at an old sawmill, not the top of the mountain. When we finally got there all the girls were excited and climbing around taking silly pictures of each other....except for one. She looked disappointed...even angry. Turns out the end wasn't all she expected; where were the grand vistas???  All she could see was a pile of junk.

She's ten and taught me lesson #2: If it's all about where you're going you miss the beauty of the hike.

We headed back down and all of a sudden these girls who were about to collapse from exhaustion on the way up were running down the trail.

Lesson #3: Exhaustion is 87% mental.

Before long the 13% that wasn't mental caught up to them and they stopped to soak their feet in a pool. At first I protested since we were already two hours behind schedule.....

but the pool was perfect and they so deserved it. I gave them five minutes. They talked and laughed about the hike and how hard it was and the whole experience changed from something horribly hard to something they wanted to do again.

Lesson #4: Time to reflect can clarify perspective.

I keep thinking about this hike and these beautiful girls, and the lessons that were laid out so plainly. The last month has been a tough one with everything I had neatly planned out....OK, those who know me know "neatly" is probably an exaggeration...but yes, I have plans...and they have been turned completely inside out.

I didn't plan on working just yet, especially a job that is part time but requires full time hours. I didn't plan on my house being this messy, ever. I didn't plan on being stretched so thin I'm invisible. I didn't plan on teaching life skills instead of math. I didn't plan on hating it and loving it at the same time.

It sounds simplistic, but I can't say how often I have repeated to myself that I can do hard things. That this moment right now is what deserves my attention. That I'm not really exhausted, just because my head spins if I move to quickly. And, that if I don't take time daily to ponder and clarify, my perspective is horrible.

Go ahead, say it with me...

I can do hard things.

I can do hard things.

I can do hard things.