Navigating Through The Fog

One of my favorite activities is hiking.

Most of the hiking has been in the woods.

I love being in nature and traveling on an adventure.

In the woods, the trail markers are painted on trees to signify where the hiking trail is.

These trail markers serve as instructions to hikers to let them know they are on the trail.

One of the most treacherous parts about hiking is straying from the hiking trail.

When you’re in the middle of the woods, trees surround you.

In my experience, those trees look all the same.

Except for when I see the tree with the trail marker.

That lets me know I’m on the right path.

I can breathe easier now that I’m on the path that will take me to my destination.

When I get off the path, calamity ensues, and I’m likely to wander around aimlessly.

The key then is to stay on the path.

Without the trail markers, the path isn’t clearly marked.

It was like a Scottish Moor.

Those were the words my uncle Flint used to describe the ridgeline of Mt Katahdin.

Mount Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

I joined Flint for a three-day hike to the summit of the grand ole mountain.

On the ridgeline leading to the summit, dense fog surrounded me.

I could barely see through the fog.

As I looked out in front of me, I noticed a cairn about twenty feet in front of me.

A cairn is a stack of rocks that marks a hiking trail.

With the trail clearly marked by cairns, I have confidence that I’m moving in the right direction.

Many people are confused by the fog of uncertainty that is surrounding us now.

We are in uncharted territory now.

What will happen to us?

I wish I knew.

I wish there was a clear path on how to navigate in these times of uncertainty.

This week I’ve talked with people who are concerned about their future.

As I’ve thought what the future holds for me, I keep coming back to a singular thought.

I’ve been here before.

We’ve all been here before.

The crisis that we are facing is not new.

It just has a different name.

What do we do?

We do what we’ve always done.

Take one day at a time and take one step at a time.

That’s all you can do.

You can have the best laid plans, but all of sudden something knocks you over.

What do you do?

You get up.

You dust yourself off.

You put one foot in front of the other.

You don’t have to know how things will work out now.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

Just take action.

As you step forward the path will reveal itself.

You can do this.

You are resilient.

So what if you fail.

You’ll get a chance to get up and start all over again.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

You are resilient.

You already have all the answers.

Just look inside your heart and you’ll find the answers.

There is a Native American Story of Wisdom that I’d like to share with you.

The Creator met with his most trusted advisors.

First, the Creator turned to the Eagle and asked, “Where shall I hide the Secret?”

“Place it on the highest mountain. Man will not find it there,” replied the Eagle.

The Creator pondered on this response and the uttered, “No, that will not work.  Man will go there.”

Next, the Creator asked the Clam, “Where shall I hide the Secret?”

The Clam responded, “Hide at the bottom of the deepest ocean.”

The Creator thought briefly and responded, “No Man will one day go there.”

Next, the Owl gave his opinion, “Maybe you should place the Secret on the moon.”

“No, Man, will one day go to the moon,” replied the Creator.

After some time, the Opossum stepped forth and commented, “The secret should be hidden in Man’s heart.”

The Creator pondered deeply on the Opossum’s words.  After quite some time, the Creator said, “Yes, that is the last place Man will look.”

You are resilient.

Look to within to find your path and take one step at a time.

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