Hiking Companions
Anxiety starts off strong,
picking up stones along the path
to rub their sharp edges,
but wears out quickly.
Melancholy quietly places
those stones in a sack
and slings it over his shoulder.
He walks slowly,
weighed down by the burden.
Peace meets up at the overlook.
She gently takes each stone
from the sack,
blesses it,
and places it in the creek bed.
At last calm,
like water flowing
over smooth stones,
finds me.
By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith
Holy Crap Maria! Each Sunday you fill my soul. I can’t thank you enough.
Thank you, Susan. And thanks for being such a kind reader and encouraging commenter. Plus, I know you love your hikes!!
It’s nice that Peace sees the value in our burden of stone and blesses each one before putting it back in the stream. I used to snicker at the saying, “It’s all good”, but lately I see it is true.
She is kind and gentle old soul:)
Beautiful. My word for this year is Peace. This poem really expresses what I don’t know how to say.
Thank you, Theresa. That is a beautiful word for the year.