A Parable: Recalling Our Lessons

Last week I took a long hike in the mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park.  Although we had been hiking in that park before, on this day we took a different path.  We decided to explore trails and experience sights we had not seen before.  At the trailhead we looked carefully at the map of potential trails searching for one we thought would be good for a full and invigorating day.   Wearing my ever-present Chicago hat, I agreed the path to “Cub” Lake looked like a good option.  The map pointed us in the right direction, but the narrow line on the schematic did not show the fine details. We would discover them as we moved along the path.

We didn’t know how much the path would go up and down. We didn’t know what the surface would be. Smooth, sandy, rocky or uneven?  Steep uphill and downhill?  Bright sunshine or shade?  Those factors would determine the difficulty of our day.  Having agreed on the route, we started out, hoping to make some new memories. This trail would lead us out into nature and then lead us back.  At the end of the day, we covered about eleven miles.

Recalling the Lessons

I was delighted at the path we had chosen.  The trail was a physical challenge, so we saw few other hikers that day.  In the serenity of this backwoods path, I was reminded of some of the most simple yet meaningful lessons we had tried to teach dads and children over the years. In the quiet of the mountains, at opportune times, once again those lessons whispered to me from my backpack. They supported me and also reminded me of my responsibility to pass them on.

We Suffer More in Our Imagination 

On a new trail, I had some concern about what we might encounter.  But, I was comforted starting the day with a favorite lesson, we suffer more in our imagination than reality.   Life frequently presents us and our children with unknown trailheads.  We can worry about what is ahead. We can worry about what we cannot see. What is over the next ridge, around the next corner.  Or we learn to look beyond our imaginings and focus on what really comes before us.

Worries behind me, I decided to give it a go.  A second lesson moved my feet forward.  The teaching of Yoda whispered in my ear,  Do or do not.  There is no try.  It is human nature to be apprehensive sometimes.  That is when the lessons and experiences of our backpacks come alive.  They support and encourage us.  That sunny morning in the freshness of the mountain air, I knew my backpack was full.  I had all I needed.  I moved past “try” and began to “do”.  Tighten your belt.  Here we go. Moving down a trail where I could not see the end

Walk to the End of the Light

I’ve told the story before about the mother instructing her son to go outside and close the barn door on a dark stormy night.  When the boy complains that the light will not shine as far as the barn, his mother says, “then walk to the end of the light.“   The wise mother knew the light would move farther with each step her son would take until he reached the barn.

And so it is with hiking in the mountains.  On a ten-mile hike in the woods, frequently we can only see a short distance ahead. The trail disappears over a ridge, down a gully, around a bend or into a thick stand of trees.  What’s next will only be revealed when we get there.  So, we walk to “the end of the light”.  Hike towards what we can see, then take one more step,  The trail unfolds before us.  We do something.  We take another step.

You Fail Because You Do Not Believe

Hiking down steep rocky, uneven slopes can be a challenge when my 70-year-old legs begin to tire.  Looking at one downhill section, I felt some hesitancy.  Yet, I knew that others had made their way here before.  I summoned confidence.  Again, a lesson taught by Yoda came to me, “You fail because you don’t believe.”  Restoring my belief in my abilities, I ventured on.”  Down the rocky slope.  One bumpy step at a time.  One foot in front of the other until the trail leveled once again.  Sometimes success depends on the choice to believe in ourselves.

Teaching by Example

Our children will encounter a variety of challenging trails.  School assignments, athletic contests, interactions with peers; and later, careers and parenting. Life can be scary when they do not know what lies ahead.  By example, we teach them to face those opportunities with confidence, one step at a time. They can find comfort in knowing that whichever path they may choose; whatever challenge they accept; it is likely that others have been there before.  There is probably a beaten path that they can follow if they have the faith and courage of those who have gone before them.  The first step can be the hardest.  But the last may be the most rewarding.

The Hard Makes It Great

At the end of the trail, over six hours and almost a dozen miles behind me, I was tired.  I got my wish of a wonderful and invigorating day, but I’ll admit that I had been tested physically.  I had to admit that it had been hard.  But, again an oft-repeated lesson flowed from the depths of my backpack.  If it was easy anyone could do it.  The hard is what makes it great.

And so, I reflected on those hours.  To me they had been great.  I had experienced new and different places in a national park.  I had seen beautiful vistas. Bright colored Aspen leaves.  I saw the world from a new perspective high among the mountains.  I felt the emotion of being in this part of God’s dominion.  Most importantly I had spent hours with my grown children uninterrupted by noises from my phone.  We heard only the sounds of nature and our own conversations along most of the way.  I had eaten a sandwich sitting on a rock overlooking an alpine lake somewhere above 9000 feet.  The “hard” had made it worth it.

Beyond Your Comfort Zones

I thought of Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of the book, The Anxious Generation.  He says we learn with our whole bodies, not just our brains.  Our senses add to our perception and understanding.  The warmth of the sun on our faces, the smell of the pine trees, the breeze blowing against us, the feeling of our hearts pumping as we climb a slope, and the fatigue in our muscles near the end of a long hike.  These are things we cannot experience on a screen.  We must go outside.  Walk through our imagination until we find the reality.

I hiked almost twelve miles that day.  Some may have hiked more.  Others could not go as far.  But I hope we all went as far as we could.  We should all be proud of our accomplishments.  Blessings followed because we were willing to take the next step.

Hiking in the mountains is a parable,  It teaches lessons our children may need on their life’s journey.  Lessons that may guide them towards their own dreams, their faith and their pursuit of a full and meaningful life.

Teach Your Children

In the mountains that day I heard the lessons we have heard before.  Dads can hear them in many other places.  They are lessons we should be teaching our children.  To do something.  Take the next step. To release their apprehensions. To walk to the end of the light and see what is out there.   To expand their horizons.  To seek a different point of view. To increase their understanding.  To feel with their senses and emotions.  To appreciate the real world.  To discover the blessings waiting beyond the light.