Looking Back
[ctt title=”How like our journey through life. We accomplish amazing things but fail to pause and marvel.” tweet=”How like our journey through life. We accomplish amazing things but fail to pause and marvel.” coverup=”V31bm”]
Reflecting
Here it is–nearly half way through February! Reviewing my goals for this year, I stopped for a moment to reflect on the past year (2014), and to note just how many of last year’s goals I actually accomplished. I was pretty surprised. I found myself in awe and excited. I know the LORD and others helped me, and for that I am deeply grateful. If I accomplish have as much this year I will be satisfied.
[ctt title=”Looking back has it\’s benefits. For therein lies that panorama view of where one has been. ” tweet=”Looking back has it\’s benefits. For therein lies that panorama view of where one has been. ” coverup=”s_mq0″] From that vantage point, one can easily see just how far you have come.
As I pondered this, I was reminded of a discovery I made during the long hikes my husband and I took while vacationing on the small island of Gozo, near Malta–in the Mediterranean Sea.
While there, we decided to hike the entire island in a series of hikes over four days. This entire coastal walk is a mere 50 kilometer route (31 miles)–so we felt confident that this would be easy enough. Our Walking Guide divided this expanse into four separate hikes, taking you through a rich variety of landscapes and features of historical and environmental interests. These include dramatic cliffs, tranquil valleys, traditional villages, ancient monuments and sandy beaches. It is a wonderful walk, particularly because of the amazing range of features to be encountered over such a small distance. Each walk was estimated at 12 Km (7.45 miles) and the longest being 16 Km (9.94 miles). We were excited and up for the challenge.
The picturesque fishing village of Xlindi
As we headed out, we soon realized the map was inadequate. At times, landmarks were obscure and we found the path disappearing altogether in places, leaving us to rely on our compass and good (?) sense of direction. On our first day out–we managed about 3 miles before we felt lost–but the map and Walking Guide urged us to continue around the bluffs ahead and keep north. Most of the time, we were the only hikers atop this vast landscape–and I secretly wondered, if we do get lost, what will we do? However, my husband cheerfully quoted the Guide, “If you have a problem, ask a local. . .they are very friendly and almost all speak English.” At this, we laughed out loud, because we never saw any locals on our hikes. We were alone atop the hills and cliffs of Gozo.
We did not get lost–but I admit to feeling a bit chagrined at times, seeing the path disappear under mossy rocks or dead end at the bottom of a gaping canyon. My husband’s parka became my sole view for awhile, for the rocky, uneven path below our feet was unstable. Sometimes I even forgot to glance around to take in the wonder of where I was. At one point I did stop. I looked behind me. I was stunned. The view was magnificent! I couldn’t believe how high up we were, or how vast was the Mediterranean below us. OR how far we had come! Then I looked ahead. The path was rocky and undefined. It curved around a hill, and disappeared from sight. In the far distance we could see our destination point, but the way there seemed daunting.
[ctt title=”How like our journey through life. We accomplish amazing things, but fail to pause and marvel.” tweet=”How like our journey through life. We accomplish amazing things, but fail to pause and marvel.” coverup=”yt3TZ”]
Looking Ahead!
[ctt title=”Sometimes the way forward in life appears so uncertain that we dare not take our eyes off the immediate path for fear we\’ll lose our way.” tweet=”Sometimes the way forward in life appears so uncertain that we dare not take our eyes off the immediate path for fear we\’ll lose our way.” coverup=”ejkUh”] If we do, we only see the uncertainty of what’s head. Many times we fret, anxious because the path is not well defined. It appears harder than we imagined it. I’m glad I didn’t give up. I assure you, the journey around Gozo was worth it–even if we didn’t make it all the way to our goal. Stephen Kagga said, “Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.” I agree!
The Azure Window
We did make our goal that day. AND it was VERY worth it! The Azure Window was amazing as was the boiling pool of water crashing against the cliffs.
My Application
My application to this short vignette is this: I am a writer. I describe myself as ‘a bit of a late-bloomer’ in the field of writing and illustrating children’s storybooks, but nevertheless, I believe that it’s never too late to start working on your dreams. (I’m 63!) I have wanted to write a book since I was in high-school. That was my dream. Many times throughout my life, I remembered those aspirations. Well, this year I did it!
Sammy’s New Friends is my first illustrated children’s storybook for ages 3-5 year old. It will be published through Create Space on Amazon some time in February, 2015. In January, I started book number two. Yay!
Looking back at 2014, I hurdled some new and daunting tasks in this world of writing and promoting one’s piece of art. Last year was a year of ‘learning’ and ‘doing’ for me. Besides writing and illustrating a children’s storybook, I have become faithful to reading, enjoying and posting regularly on Social Media. I started a blog (www.writing4funblog.com). I launched an author’s website where people can read more about my writing experiences & new works. (www.lindakbridges.com) I registered a YouTube Chanel for posting my book trailer, introducing Sammy’s New Friends, and a welcome video. The grandmother of all accomplishments (speaking figuratively, as a Grandmother!) was registering for a Twitter account. I’m about as illiterate as one can get regarding Twitter–but I am committed to trying it for 1 year. You can now view my posts there: https://twitter.com/@lindakbridges. If you see me there–PLEASE say something to me and I’ll try hard to reply. (Chuckling)
Remember this: “It’s never too late to start working on your dreams. Don’t let the path ahead scare you. The journey is worth it!”
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