Soul Magic
by David McLaughlan of
The bend in the path was completely submerged. The grass
verges on either side were sodden messes, muddied up by the footprints and
bicycle tires of others who'd gone around. As I tentatively searched for a way
past I had a mini-flashback.
I'd been in this same situation with an older friend years
before. When we came to the puddle I hesitated. He walked right on through.
He always did. And he explained why.
"If you mess about, trying to skirt around the puddle
like everyone else does the best you're gonna end up
with is muddy footwear. Worse comes to worst you might slip in the mud and end
up actually in the puddle. But if you have a good strong pair of shoes on you
can just walk straight through. When you get to the other side, your shoes will
cleaner than when you started."
While I was trying to absorb this "wisdom", he
looked at me and said, "You know I'm not talking about shoes here, don't
you?"
Eventually, I got it.
He wasn't talking about shoes. He was talking about faith
and maybe character. The puddle wasn't a puddle either. It represented the
difficulties we all have to face sooner or later in our lives.
We come to these points - or sometimes they are placed right
in our way - and we have to decide how to deal with them. They might involve
drugs, drink, trust, temptation, whatever. If we're
not sure what we're doing we'll probably mill around the edges with the herd,
going nowhere fast. But we'll get a little tarnished, a little muddy if you
like. We might even slip - or be pushed - and end up right in that puddle, only
this puddle might be addictive, it might be deadly, it might seriously mess up
your life. You didn't mean to get into it, but ...
If you know who you are, though, if you know where you're
going, if you already know what you believe in, then you have something firm to
walk on. You have strong, stout walking shoes. You can go right through those
difficulties. It might not be a pleasant experience, but you'll learn from it,
grow from it, and your soul will be a whole lot cleaner on the other side.
So, all this is going through my mind and I stop trying to
find a way around the puddle. I mentally tip my hat to my old friend and I take
a bold step forward. Then I remember - these shoes leak!
But they sure were clean when I got to the other side.
—
© by David McLaughlan of
If you want to see more of the world the way David sees it, visit http://www.myspace.com/wayfarerstales
For more Soul Magic visit: http://www.sfpnn.com/soul_magic.htm