Trails and Trials
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Whatever your task that needs doing,
Whatever the trail that you’re viewing,
When ending the day,
May you get to say,
“It really was worth the pursuing.”
Is Today a Trail or a Trial?
Trail and Trial …
Exactly the same letters
Such very different meanings.
My typo led me
To an insight.
Prompts me to muse
From seat of my imaginary bicycle.
Sometimes a Trail I’m riding
Becomes a Trial.
Going from bad to worse.
Potholes, mud, ruts that threaten balance,
Unexpected, unending inclines,
Washed out sections on steep drop-offs.
Not at all what I expected when
I read the map.
After finishing that ride,
Exhausted, muddy …
When I have time for rest and food,
I can notice how satisfying it is
To have “stayed-the-course.”
Finally, my remembered image of the heron:
Poised, and peering into puddle,
Hoping to snatch up some tiny, trapped fish—
Makes me smile!
Off-the-bike days can feel similar.
Metaphorical hills, potholes, and mud
Are real Trials on any day’s Trail.
By staying-the-course,
Attending to the challenges,
We complete and appreciate that day’s Trail.
Your Trials, like mine,
Can be the stuff of what
Gives a sense of accomplishment
And deep satisfaction.
I’m cheering you on—
Your progress facing Trials—
Shifting to Trails of accomplishment;
Mapping our memorable lives.
All is well here.
Hugs.
Lin
