The Obstacle on the Path

And The Earth Said Peace.

How many times I have watched new tracks forming on the walks that I do.  it was the very same when I was a runner. I remember a regular run I used to do through Letham Woods, not far from where I used to live. 

In this wood there stood a very very beautiful beech tree. I was high and broad the path passed just under skirting round its roots. The roots of this tree formed a kind of shelter which I am sure gave a place of comfort for many an animal in snow and heavy rain.

One morning as I passed I noticed that some of the young people, who gathered in the woods at the weekend, had been lighting a fire under the roots in the shelter. This continued over the weekend during the summer holidays. Sadly I never saw anybody actually doing it, just the remains of their litter and rubbish.

I have a thing I do on paths. I make them more like friends by giving them little names and places. This particular path I called beech corner.  It was exactly two miles from home. 

One day the winds came, and after all the burning of the summer, the tree no longer had the same grip on the earth. it was blown down. A tree of such beauty. I was devastated. Also gone was beech corner and the path. 

Soon a new path began to appear as people skirted round the now dead tree. I was thinking of this tree the other day as i saw  a new path begin to form around an obstacle on a path I was walking. 

It reminded me of another tale. 

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. 

Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. 

Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. 

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. 

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. 

The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.A time of difficulty can make or break us depending on how we view the obstacle.