Monday, October 14, 2013

lacin' up the walkin' shoes...

i watched a movie this weekend with the guys.
and it hasn't left my mind.

it's called 'the way back' and is the story of some men
who escaped a gulag in siberia and WALKED to india.
most of the time having to hide.
it's based on a true story.

i was captivated thru the whole movie.

i had read some aleksander solzhenitsyn's books (a man
who spent years and years in the gulags) and i think that sparked
the interest in the movie for me. i also am facing something that
scares me and i wanted some inspiration. i figured this might do it.

and my gosh, did it ever.

the walk was 4,000 miles.

yeah.

FOUR THOUSAND.

and yes, of course they all didn't make it - one stayed in russia, a few died, one
went another direction...that kinda thing. but a few made it.

and of course, the main guy made it.

he had a reason to make it that drove him and drove him and drove him.
and he a kindness that stood out.

those two things really interested me.

i've been thinking about kindness lately.
years ago, i had a day that taught me something about kindness that i won't ever forget -
that day taught me that there's a deep deep mystery to kindness.-
and it's power is incredible.

i've been kinda remembering that lately.
just vaguely thinking about it.
this movie brought it to the front of my mind.

and the drive - which was beyond him....
those drives that are not about us, that are beyond us -
those can fuel some stuff, can't they?
well......like a 4,000 mile walk.

i looked at my fear.
didn't look quite so big after that movie.

i later looked up the story, thinking of maybe reading the book. there's question
as to whether it's true or not. kinda goes back and forth. and while i wasn't
sure i wanted to read the book after all that, i found i didn't much care if it was true
or not. cause i believe in the idea with all i have. i believe we've got it in us to do
the unimaginable. and i believe both kindness and drive will get you a million miles.
or is it four thousand? whatever it is.....it's far........

maybe it's time to put on my walkin' shoes and walk right on thru that fear.
to find the 'way back' to trust.....

3 comments:

Diane Stefan said...

I totally agree - it really doesn't matter if it was entirely true or not - it's really all about what you got from it. . .believing in yourself and in your journey - no matter how hard or how long it might be. . . another thought-provoking blog, thank you

Anonymous said...

When fear comes to visit, I stop what i am doing , and I pour him a cup of tea.
I sit with him on my front porch and listen to what he has to say.
He usually tells me things that "might happen"
all the worse case scenarios that he can think of. Sometimes I sit there shaking in my shoes.
when he gets up and waves his warning fingers at me, the first person I invite over after he is gone, but not really is possibility.
yeah, I know, Possibility?
but she always asks me whats the worst thing that could happen? and when I tell her all the things fear has said, she looks me square in the eye and says " you can reach the top of the mountain, even if you crawl, even if you only take one step a day, because as long as you are moving, anything is possible"
and don't you know? kindness came to call this weekend! I like it when we have the same visitors..~grin~

terri st. cloud said...

loved this, annonymous! and diane, i'm with ya!!