You are not alone

I remember this day. I had gotten a late start for this trail and ended up hiking in the high heat of the day, alone, my water bottle empty, not a lick of shade, and more mileage than I realized. The only beings were a couple of horseback riders. By the end (this one ended with elevation gain!!) I was literally counting my steps. I knew that I could crawl to my car in 50 step increments and took solice in knowing if I collapsed that one of the riders might come by and notice. I'm not kidding, that's where my head was at. I'm a hiker and this was bad. Nearing the end, I looked back and felt struck by how this hike had felt familiar to my story in recent years.

The journey of this hike mirrored unforgiving desert places, especially in the unexpected hard, feeling alone but knowing there were a few on the journey with me. There were periodic moments of relief (cool breeze), a single extended moment of respite (a single scraggly tree where I ate my peanut butter and jelly), feeling totally depleted (dehydrated), and honing my focus only on the next right step.

Seasons that feel hard do have brief moments of relief. Watch for them. Take them in. And just when you're not sure you're going to survive it ... you do. Eventually you get to share with others how you made it through ... and you'll look back and realize, you weren't ever truly alone.

You are not alone.
💛 Stay gentle.