Funny story I thought I’d share from my days as a backpacker.
I was working with a teen wilderness therapy program. We were out on the desert in the wilds of Utah. As staff we were there a week at a time and the kids were out there anywhere from a few weeks to months. In some ways it was a pretty intensive program, and in other ways life got really simple.
Each of the kids had a tarp for shelter and all their gear would roll up in the tarp, which they would then tie up into a bundle and then thread seat belt webbing through to make a backpack. Every morning we would tear down the shelters, roll up our packs and hit the trail for anywhere between 2-10 miles. When we arrived at our campsite for the day, we would unpack and make camp.
In the middle of nowhere, the desert of Utah, there was a stillness there that spoke to the soul. A deep quiet so strong and peaceful it is my belief that this desert magic could soothe the confusion and the difficulties of the teens who came.
So, we pack up as usual like so many days before, as we are hiking, one of the students, lets call him Mike was just really tired and struggling.
Me: Hey Mike, Hows it going?
Mike: Oh, I don’t know what it is, my pack is so heavy today
Me: Hmm, maybe you are just more tired today.
Mike: yeah, maybe it just feels so heavy.
Me: Well, hang in there, we’ve only a couple more miles to go.
The last couple of miles Mike looked tired and worn. He was a good hiker but the trail today was really wearing on him.
Finally, we arrived at our campsite for the night. Everyone began unrolling their backpacks, we heard Mike shout “No wonder!” as he stood over his bundle of possessions. I came over to see what he was talking about.
There, nestled between his socks and an extra pair of pants was a big fat rock. We are not talking a handsized rock, we are talking about a sizeable two handed 10 lb. rock about the size of a large grapefruit! We used rocks to secure the sides of the shelter, and that morning while he was packing up, it must have gotten buried among his clothes or he got distracted in tearing down the tent tarp.
As you think about it, what a great metaphor for life. How many times have we hiked around in our life with giant rocks in our backpack? Old ideas and thought patterns that weigh us down and hold us back?
What’s in your backpack?
