The Long Journey

The journey, it has been strenuous and long

My thoughts are lost in dreams of its final destination

Straining with fatigue and weariness are the steps of my feet

Thrice as heavy from the beginning have my legs become

What at the beginning was once an euphoric moment

Now feels weighed down and tempting enough to consider quitting

Yet in this darkness, a glimmer of light!

The seed of vision and hope planted inside me

Drives the determination to push forward through the unknown trial ahead

The goal, it's coming, and it's coming soon

If I keep moving, I will find

That blessed updraft of joy

A renewed feeling of energy and strength

The enlivened spring in my step

No more the conquered, but the conqueror

No more fear and doubt

Instead an increase of confidence and faith

A long and powerful reflection

An overflowing of gratitude

The welcoming and warm embrace of light.

Commentary:

I wrote this poem a week or so ago to help me do an exercise that might help me settle down enough to get to sleep one evening. It is interesting that last weekend, I actually had an experience that describes this almost exactly. It's a description of someone who is taking a long walk or hike, and it's not entirely easy one. It's an expression of the moment I reach--and probably many others--when the strain of the physical exertion begins to feel uncomfortable. It's a reminder that even though it's tempting to quit, the discomfort is only temporary and there's a reward in the end.

I went on such a walk. I started off with full energy as I naturally walk, but I forgot the labors of a constant uphill hike, and the full energy efforts began to wane. It got really uncomfortable, mostly in the legs, but my breathing got a little bit labored also. There were so many times when I really wondered if I should stop, but I knew the walk wasn't really long, and so I continued along with the end goal in my mind the whole time. It was terribly uncomfortable, but as soon as I reached the landmark, I felt so much better, and my muscles were happy again. Life has it's way of providing those lessons for us all, whether it comes as a simple hike, or a life changing moment. It makes things interesting.

Coming back from the small hike.