Perspectives

A few weeks ago, the boys and I went hiking at Noccolula Falls. It was somewhere I have been intending to take them for a while. And, I’ll be honest, I was desperate to see a waterfall and get up close to it. I really wanted to get one of those cool photos from behind the falls. Because…. you know, the backside of water.

We left our house early, got there before the crowds, and headed for the trails. I had done my research and knew there was a trail that went down into the gorge and allowed access to get up close and personal with the falls. I couldn’t wait. The recent rain made the falls wild and full and powerful, and I was so excited.

As we started down the main trail, we found the access point to the “secret” back-side-of-water path. But what we found was less of a path and more of a rock face that needed rappelling equipment. It was a LONG way down y’all!

I can get really excited and pretty stubborn about chasing adventures. I don’t want to miss out on anything, and I have been known to get pretty feisty about it all. I struggle against the limitations of the diseases my body fights. Sometimes, in the moment of my adventuring spirit, I try things that are really not very safe. But on this day, even I knew this was beyond me. I was not up to scrambling down slippery rocks. My joints would never allow it.

We shifted our expectations and stayed on the main trail. I was disappointed though. I had visions of conquering nature and seeing something amazing. My perspective was clouded by what I was missing.

As we walked the 2 mile Black Creek Trail that follows the curves of the river below, my perspective began to shift despite my disappointment. I started noticing what was around me, and nature showed me her charms. The waterfall we first encountered was wild and powerful, a little terrifying when you looked down into the gorge. We could hear the loud pounding of the water from the main falls long after we left them behind.

I began to think about the places in life that seem terrifying and wild at first - parenting, moving to a new city, starting a new job, a new relationship. We jump in and try to take the most direct path to get to where we want to be. But sometimes, direct doesn’t come together for us. Sometimes we are forced to take a roundabout way. We can hear the river roaring and know that is the place we want to be. But we are stuck listening and waiting.

How often do we miss the charms of what is directly in front of us because our hearts want to be on the most direct path? I know I have been there. I am impatient, and I want to get immediate and perfect results in everything I do. Taking the “long way ‘round” is not my first instinct. And very rarely am I on it by choice.

But sometimes…

Sometimes, the long way holds rewards too.

As we made it to the end of the 2 mile trail, we came to a bend in the river. It was peaceful and beautiful. It hardly seemed like the same river, but I know it was. We sat for a while and meditated and talked together about the ways the river had changed.

I almost missed the beauty and charm of the trail I was on. I wanted adventure and a rush of accomplishing a big task. What I got was a roundabout path that was (I am pretty sure) just as beautiful in its own way.

When we got to the very end of Black Creek Trail, we turned around and walked back the way we came. I noticed a lot more this time. I wasn’t so lost in the fog of missing my ideal adventure.

So often, my heart is in a hurry. A hurry to be healed. A hurry to know. A hurry to learn. A hurry to find perfection. But I miss a lot that way. There are a lot of beautiful things to experience when I slow down and notice the grace around me. I am learning. I will keep making mistakes and trying to scramble down the rocks to get to the end goal. But I will also keep breathing, keep learning my limits, and keep looking for beauty in what’s around me.

Oh, and the end of our hike that day? It was totally worth the wait.

Where do you find yourself rushing through to get to the end goal? How can you be more intentional in your journey? Where can you slow down and notice the grace around you?