One day closer
One week closer
One month closer
The shepherd, tired and weak, shielded his eyes from the
gusts of sand as he climbed yet another hill in the vast desert.
He did as he had done every day since setting out on this journey – peering as far he could into the distance ahead of him, he looked desperately for signs of the oasis that was his destination.
And like every day prior, his visioning led to
disappointment, with nothing but endless sand in view.
He walked on. Sheep bleating. Shepherd stick beating with a
rhythmic thud on the desert sand.
Around mid-day, with sun scorching, a terrible gust of wind
came blowing across the landscape. He could see it approaching from in front of
him. Airborne tunnels of sand served as the trumpeters announcing the impending
arrival of the king. In this case, the wind.
To this point, he had taken these moments head-on, not
wanting to waste time in his quest for the oasis.
But today, tired and weak, he made a different decision.
“I will not give the wind the satisfaction of slapping my
face today.”
With that, he stopped and turned away from the wind, so that
he was facing toward where he had been on this journey.
To the sheep’s and his surprise, he sat down.
Thud. Not a gentle landing.
Shepherd’s stick rattled until coming to a rest.
Sheep confused.
He assumed a fetal position. And began to weep.
No one knows how much time passed, but a good while later,
he awoke. The winds had battered his back and he noticed a stinging sensation
over his spine. Still sitting, the shepherd uncurled from the fetal position,
stretching his legs out in front of him. The wind has passed.
“I have beaten the wind today,” he sighed.
He gazed upon the rolling desert over which he had traveled
over the last days. And his mind began to wander.
Looking a good distance toward the horizon, he saw where he
had been a day earlier. He smiled.
Squinting still further, he could see where he had been this
same time last week. He smiled bigger.
And with his mind’s eye, he looked further still, to where
he had been exactly one month ago. You could now see his teeth with the smile.
“I am here. I can go on. My victory today is simply moving
forward, one step at a time.”
These words appeared to him.
He rose, shook off sand, and awakened the sheep. “Such lazy
animals,” he thought with a chuckle, turning back to face his unknown
destination.
His journey continued, but it was different now. There was
hope, even joy as he took each step forward toward the oasis. Yes, tiredness as
well.
And each day, around mid-day when the sun was scorching and
even if there was no headwind, he would turn 180 degrees to whence he had come
and say softly to himself and the sheep:
One day closer
One week closer
One month closer
Really enjoyed your post! And I love its connection to your recent piece for the I Run Far website. We're all in "a race without a finish line," as you beautifully stated.
ReplyDeleteI think sometime over the last month or two, I let go of the notion that I've been wanting or needing life to go back to how it was pre-pandemic. When I got sick with covid and saw my mom and other loved ones get sick, it made my world feel very small. I wasn't concerned with when movie theaters might open again, when I'd get to go back on campus, or when I'd finish my application. I was solely concerned about my wellbeing and the safety of everyone close to me.
Now that we've all recovered, I'm simply thankful and enjoying things for what they are. Dinner with my dad. Hiking with an old friend. Getting to exercise and breathe fresh air. I know others who weren't so fortunate.
We've come a long ways since all of this started. Almost a year now. That makes us almost a year closer to the finish line. And until we get there, I'll continue to enjoy the things that have always made me happy but that I've sometimes taken for granted.
Thank you for the read Hermano
Seeing how far we have come is a helpful antidote to pandemic fatigue. Thank you, Shepherd Anthony, for your poetic storytelling.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tale; very inspiring!!!
ReplyDeleteI am smiling and enjoying more the feeling of my feet in the sand. I am ever so grateful!
ReplyDeleteI loved this story, thank you for sharing! It made me contemplate a bit more deeply something that I am currently studying with an elder/mentor. We have been reading Falling Upward by Richard Rohr wherein he mentions that there are situations, hurts and failures that we do not have the ability to fix, accept or understand. We are meant to experience them, hold them and use them as a impetus to become closer to our respective higher powers. Just knowing that we've survived 2020 is something to be grateful for. Now, 2021....
ReplyDelete