Half and Half ...

I have described what I am experiencing as a journey from the bottom of a deep dark valley upwards towards the bright sunshine bathed mountain top ... The first steps on this journey were finding the trail head, and beginning to trip one step at a time ...

I have no illusions that there is a quick and easy was of moving from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain ... I've likened the whole experience to hikes I've taken on the West Coast while resident in a remote coastal community.

There were points along the way that the trail seemed to be heading DOWNWARDS rather than up, and there were times when it seemed to be heading in entirely the WRONG direction ... but with each step you drew closer to the destination ... rather than focusing only on the destination, it is important to concentrate on the journey and the lessons it offers as well ...

To that end, I've come to realize the importance and the value that friends have in one's life as these kinds of journeys are undertaken ...

There have been moments in time when I've wondered if I have any friends left. I've dwelled on the glass being HALF EMPTY rather than seeing the "liquid" that remains and celebrating that the glass is actually half FULL!! (I will refrain from digressing into a whole OTHER conversation about the ramifications of WHAT is in the glass ... some liquids need NOT be half full NOR half empty, but should be enjoyed in moderate amounts instead ...)

Lately, I've come to appreciate the place friends play in our lives, particularly in times of transition and change ... the email from a friend that is harsh and sharp in its query about what we're doing or thinking, may at the moment be resented, but with time and reflection the truth of those words spoken in care and concern serve to HELP rather than HINDER. The outcome rests in the reciever ...

There have been moments when I've been in reflection with friends and found their words too sharp and too pointed ... but as I moved forward from that moment, I have been struck at how timely their counsel has been, and how profoundly on the mark they have often been. What may be regarded as sharp and blunt, is at time exactly what is needed to continue the journey ...

"What were you thinking ?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"This may sound harsh, but ..."

Such are the examples of words spoken by the circle of friends I have around me who continue to help me in this journey ... I'm still heading for the mountain top, and I've had a couple of places where the trail got slippery and dark, and the trail was wending its way along a cliff from which it seemed possible that I could plummet at any moment ...

But in those moments, the words of my friends, words that on the surface seemed harsh and cutting ... we the very words needed to get me through that time and place ... they are like a hand offered to someone clinging to the rock face filled with fear and terrified of falling off ... the hand is a pull to a place of security, strength and safety, though in the moment it may not seem that way ...

Looking back as I've found myself in a quiet clearing along the way, I can honestly say that the glass that for too long I've viewed as being half empty, is truly HALF FULL ... I am blessed with wise and wonderful friends who have continued to speak the words that need to be spoken, and who have continued to challenge and counsel me to move out of the "woe is me" pity party that is too easy to fall into ... I am grateful for them ... and I am grateful for their words ... and my journey has been made far safer knowing they are there to help through the rough spots ...

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