I just finished reading A Walk In the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, by Bill Bryson. It is a wonderful nonfiction travel book about ecology, biology, geology, history, and human nature; by turns educational and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Bryson's original plan was to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, well over 2,000 miles, from Georgia to uppermost Maine.
In the end, he doesn't hike much more than 840 miles of it. However, as he notes, that is a farther distance than New York to Chicago; certainly nothing to disparage! And just think: he and his friend hiked that distance in rough terrain and bad weather with a 40-pound pack on their backs. So, his plan was one thing, his accomplishment quite another; all of which was affected and altered by physical and mental constraints and other unexpected problems.
We all have plans, sometimes vague or specific for our lives. We expect to see our children grow up; we expect them to be happy, educated and successful. We expect to save the perfect amount of money with which to enjoy and take care of ourselves; and eventually, with lovely silver hair and riding trail bikes on the beach---isn't that how the commercials show it?---we expect to retire with smile on our ever-so-slightly wrinkled faces turned into the sunset.
But as Bryson finds out, and I as well, sometimes the path you expect becomes rough or impassable. Sometimes those obstructions will change your direction, your plan, and perhaps that sunset photo finish. That is when we must rethink and reroute our expectations. This brings to mind a saying, although unattributable, that has resonance for me: "Life is a series of dynamic changes. Resisting those changes will bring only sorrow."
Bryson had to change his plans when unexpected snow fell in Georgia, when terrain proved to be insurmountable, and when his hiking partner was lost in the wilderness overnight. But he still accomplished so much! I'll admit it, I have always thought too much about the future. I'm still quite hopeful that my plans won't change too much, although they have a different feeling to them now. Perhaps that feeling is the fragility of life and our wispy future plans. But I'm not thinking about plans and trails now. I'm truly taking it Day by Day. It's lovely outside, sunny and bright. Make the most of it. Happy trails to you all.
