Sometimes You're Up and Sometimes Down Part 3

If you look at the mountains of Machu Picchu, they look like a man's face looking toward heaven. They believe that it was a holy place where you could come closer to God.

The next year on our visit to the ruins, I had a child that was feeling ill so the "group" went ahead on the hike and I climbed it myself when she felt better. I once again counted steps but having been there before, knowing what lay ahead made the hike so much easier. As I was resting on my 50 stairs, I would tell others how close they were to the top and they could do it. Some would get excited and start counting the stairs as they went when I told them they were only a few hundred steps away.

In every ruin we visited in that region, there was a skinny tunnel that one had to squeeze through alone and in the dark. The custom is said that it was like going through the birth canal and when you got through the other end, it was like a new birth. The tunnels were usually near the top of the ruins. To me, it was like a birth. I had made it on my own. Ultimately, we all have to make it on our own. There will be times of darkness when others can't help and we don't know where we are going or what lies ahead. I knew I could do it. I know we all can "Do It." Here I am the second year in the tunnel.

When I went down the second time, once again, I was running down the large steps carved out of stone. I would have gone faster had I been able to pass others. The steep climb doesn't allow for passing except on corners. Sometimes in life, others hold us up in our progression. We need to be patient with them. Knowing that at some point, we will get back on the path at our own pace.

I learned so much from those two hikes. For some, going up the trail is hard. Even if the trail is not steep and rocky. For others, coming down is hard. They had it easy going up and may have made fun of others for their difficulty. However, coming down may prove difficult if the ease of going up got to them.

In life, we all have ups and downs. The biggest lesson for me was that I may not "fit" into what others may want. I can't let myself be pressured into doing what others want me to do. I can choose to do it my way. If we make it to the top, does it matter how long it took to get there or which path we took?

I saw how a kind and loving person telling me I could make it gave me courage and hope. On the other, someone telling me "You don't have to do it." or "What are you trying to prove?" made me want to be alone and was very discouraging to me. However, my brothers didn't leave my side even when I didn't want them around. They were there to watch over me and probably thought it was in my best interest not to do the hike.

It made me ponder on how I can influence others by my words and actions. In my past, have I been the one pushing others to do things in my way and not allowing them the freedom to go at their own pace and take their own path? Am I loyal to them and stay with them until the end making sure they make it to the top as my brothers did for me? Do I allow them to make it "their way" rather than my way?

Also, I learned that pacing myself and counting my steps and not forcing myself into another persons idea of how to do something really helped me accomplish a goal. The next year, when I was able to tell people they were almost there and how close they were to the top, it gave them the strength to go on. Sometimes if we can find someone who has been through a difficult situation that we may be going through, it can help us make it through the same situation knowing what is coming or what to avoid or where the rough patches will be.

We should be careful not to judge another because our trial may be just over the next ridge. When we're up, we should help those that are down and I am sure there has been a time in each of our lives when we were down and someone helped us up. May we each be grateful and kind wherever we are on the path!