“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Laozi

Trees on the Maddron Bald Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

After several months of considering life and career and with a huge amount of prayer and preparation, I took a giant leap for this man (with apologies to Neil Armstrong).  I left a perfectly good paying job to go down this new path.   Many, many thanks to all who gave their time and listening ear as I considered what to do.   You are an incredibly patient and caring group and I thank God for each of you!  I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my biggest supporter – my wonderful wife!

So, why, you ask?  Well, a lot of changes were happening and they got me thinking about the next chapter of my life.    All that was terribly confusing and coupled with several huge losses in our family in a short time, I just got more and more contemplative.   In the spring, I took some time to recover and did a lot of hiking.   One day, I left home to go hiking and it was just pouring rain.  When I got to the trail I had selected there was no rain and the sky was cool, springtime blue.   I had picked this trail because it had some of the last remaining large hemlock trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.   I’d never been on it before.

And, in the words of Robert Frost, ‘that has made all the difference.’

You see, this 7 1/4 mile solo round trip was an experience I will never forget.  On the way back, I stopped to take a sip of water.  In less than 30 seconds I had plopped down, taken off my pack, pulled out my water bottle, unscrewed the lid, taken a sip, replaced the lid, put the bottle back in my pack, put my pack on and started back down the trail.  I took a few steps and the wind whistled in the trees.  It caught my attention and I sat back down.  “Where are you rushing to and why?”, I thought.  “You don’t have to be anywhere.”

I sat down, took my pack off and relaxed.  And that’s when I realized I was rushing through everything.  I was even rushing through my morning bagel and coffee.  Checking things off my list.  My faith causes me to believe the Holy Spirit was right there with me as an answered prayer.  And, I got the message clearly.

So, are you rushing?  Has the rat race got you spinning the wheel, trying not to fall down?   Checking things off the list as fast as possible? Why?  What are you going to do about it?

I recently read a great story in a post by a new friend.   Five frogs are sitting on a log.  One decides to jump off.  How many frogs are left on the log?

Five.

One only decided to jump off the log.

He didn’t jump.

Live. Grow. Harmonize.