Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was” [Dag Hammarskjold].
While making the three-hour trip to Thanksgiving dinner last week, I noticed a road sign I had not seen before. It was your typical yellow diamond-shaped warning sign which read, “Hill Blocks View.”
And while the road we were on was quite narrow and unlined, and the sign appeared at the bottom of a hill, the terrain wasn’t what I would call treacherous, nor was the hill especially steep. I guess the sign was present simply to notify drivers that the hill created a blind spot.
I mentioned the sign during lunch and my sister said, “That’s what hills do, they block the view. Why in the world would they need a sign to alert drivers?”
And, that started me thinking about why, indeed, you would need a sign at this location to state the obvious.
Perhaps the sign was present specifically because the hill didn’t appear to be dangerous. I wondered how many drivers, without a reminder to use caution, went flying over the hill only to experience a disastrous encounter with a piece of slow-moving farm equipment or stopped school bus or other unexpected obstacle.
Each of us encounters hills that block our view of the future. It is not unusual to encounter similar challenges over and over — they may not appear especially difficult or dangerous or out of the ordinary, but at that moment they are all we can see. And because they block our view of what could be, we accept them as permanent and insurmountable. In reality, however, if we keep going, they become temporary obstacles which dissolve away as we continue our climb toward the summit.
Don’t become discouraged. Don’t stop. The hill in front of you, the one that is blocking your view, is not meant to be your future.
If you keep going, you’ll be able to see your future from the top of the hill. I guarantee the view will be worth the effort!
It’s the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance and sweeps away all obstacles [Claude M. Bristol].
Whatever you are, be a good one!
Deanna
Whatever You Are, Be a Good One 