A Post Card from the Thicket

There is an unexpected reverie that comes over me as I walk along the road this evening. The faint scent of smoke from a distant charcoal grill rides the cool, misty serpents of the late-November air, summoning potent memories from my youth. Uncorked, they weave their spell and transport me back to a time when my path was clear and my brow unfurrowed. It is a sweet torment with a message I must contemplate. When it comes to such mysterious things, one can not always assume the obvious. 

Overhead, the Great Orb of Night struggles to throw shadows on the ground. So pale and small tonight, and shrouded by opalescent vapors, she seems frustrated. Caught in the dark tangle of thin, bare branches, the moon mirrors my own struggle.

A turbulent sea of emotions tosses me from past to present and back again. Like a sailor adrift on the wreckage of his once proud vessel, all I can do is hold on to the only thing that floats. Hope.

At this point in my life, I am quite familiar with such trials of spirit – dark nights of the soul – and I accept them as a part of life's grand journey. They have always made me stronger and wiser. Yet I do grow weary of them at times, longing for the profound peace of soft green fields and impossibly blue skies. 

In life we start off with a certain amount of courage to get us rolling (though perhaps it is ignorance or innocence). We use what courage we have to face our fears, and as we prevail we gain more courage to press onward. But we gain it AFTER we are already victorious! So we actually have just enough courage to face each new ordeal. Such are the adventures of an ordinary life!

As I walk on, I think of my family and friends. We are all united under the same moon this evening, living separate lives, each holding our own desires, fears, joys, sorrows, triumphs, and failures. Tonight some of these people are feeling pretty good while others have more dire circumstances to contend with.

Though I must find my own path out of this current mental, emotional, and spiritual thicket, I am not alone in such a quest.