October 25, 2023
The Hill
A traveler sat down to rest from his journey by the side of the road. As he rested, another man passed by. This other man, the traveler observed, walked very slowly and was bent forward. His expression was troubled and there was pain in his eyes.
“What ails you, fellow?” called up the wise, but simple man. “Come and join me and take a rest, because I see you need to share the burden you carry.”
The other man sat down, stared far into the distance for a while and then began to speak.
“I’ve lost the dearest person I’ve ever known,” he said, as tears welled in his eyes. Then, he fell silent for a few moments before continuing.
“I feel as if I’m constantly walking up a hill and the wind is always against me. My feet are heavy as clay, and my stomach is burning. So I say to myself that I should turn back to ease the pain. If I walk back down the hill, then maybe I’ll discover that all of this isn’t true, and she’ll be waiting for me.”
The traveler sat listening to the man’s story and then replied.
“You can’t go back down the hill,” he said. “You need to reach the top, because there the path will level, the wind will soften, your feet grow lighter and the burning in you will cease. Going back down the hill will only prolong your pain, because the path to your healing is forward … up the hill.”
As the traveler got up to resume his journey, he told the man, “The one you have lost isn’t at the bottom of the hill, but with you all the time, because you carry her spirit in your heart.”
– Anonymous
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