August 29, 2015 - Climbing to Paradise

I’m climbing my way to paradise, step by step.  Carefully, I choose the way.  Sometimes I take a path that looks good, but half way through it becomes treacherous.  Then I have to decide whether to continue or retrace my steps and take another path.  If I continue, it’s usually because I can see the treacherous path leveling out further up or joining briefly with a better path.  If I retrace my steps, it’s because the path leads to nothing but difficulty.  Experience guides the way.  Sometimes I’m right; sometimes I’m wrong, but the older I get, the more instinctive the choice of paths becomes.

Almost there . . .

The difficult paths are not always to be ignored.  Sometimes they reveal breathtaking beauty that cannot be found on the simple paths.  Sometimes they lead to hidden treasures.  Sometimes they lead to magnificent abundance that has been untouched because others were afraid of the difficult path.  But there’s always danger on the difficult path--danger of falling, danger of ambush, danger of getting lost.  The difficult paths are slow-going, but some say they’re worth it.

The simple paths are not always to be taken.  Sometimes they’re crowded and dirty.  Sometimes they promise the prize at the end but then don’t deliver.  Sometimes they lead in a circular direction, ending where they began after much traveling.  But sometimes they are comfortable and welcome.  Sometimes they put the heart and feet at ease.  Sometimes they reveal the kind of camaraderie that can’t be found on a difficult path.  The simple paths are enjoyable, but the hidden danger is mediocrity.

I’m almost to the top, but I’m not sure if that’s where I want to go, not yet anyway.  I’ll get there soon enough--this I know.  Today it’s about the journey, and the secret is that the journey itself is paradise.  Tomorrow it’s about the destination, but heaven can wait.