One step…

I was going through the files and came across a picture… which inevitably sets off a chain reaction…

We never really know where the road is going to lead us as we face the mysteries of tomorrow.

It seemed appropriate too as we approach September and the Silent Eye’s Harvest of Being weekend at Ilkley, where, in what seems like a complete lapse from sanity, I crossed these same stepping stones blindfold. That was an exercise in trust, a very visible one, guided by my two fellow directors, Steve and Stuart.

The trust goes deeper than friendship with these two, but there is a trust deeper still that carries me forward, one foot in front of the other, every day. Even when things get rough.

With my eyes covered, my usual mode of moving through the world was taken with my vision. Strangely enough, the blindfold also took the fear. I no longer had any other options than to trust and move forward or refuse a challenge I, myself, had chosen. I was responsible only for my own actions… all I could do was be aware and respond to the hand and voice that guided.

Some stones are far apart, worn and slippery. The water gushes between them and, even under normal circumstances, the step is a stretch for legs as short as mine. Here I was almost hauled across. My fingers, I recall, crushed and pained by the strength that pulled me to safety. Most gaps were attainable… but only by stretching forward , leaning into the air above the water until my foot touched stone.

As an analogy for the way life can seem to drag us onward over rough ground, or demand a leap of faith into an unknown future, it worked beautifully. As an illustration of how serenely we can travel through such times by trusting that the universe knows what it is doing… even if we cannot see it at all… it was perfect.

If “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”, then the distance decreases with every step forward… no matter how difficult the terrain. If we walk it with trust in a purpose unknown, but known to be of value, then our feet do not resist and may find a smoother way.