Hope
The View From Here
There’s mist in the valley. It makes it difficult to see where the path might twist or turn, but it reflects the colors of the rising sun and transforms what could be a daunting mystery into a thing of hopeful curiosity.
The palette on the horizon mesmerizes. It’s a panorama of pinks and purples broken up by streaks of golden orange. It beckons. That horizon is the future and the path I’m standing on leads unerringly towards it.
I spare a look over my shoulder and can see the storm still darkening the landscape. It is not so distant the occasional peal of thunder doesn’t vibrate in my bones; not so far behind that my clothes aren’t still a little damp. But there is no doubt it is behind me.
It’s early spring and I know a chilly rain may yet fall. I know a northern wind may yet blow, but my eyes are to the horizon, my face tilted toward the sun.
The pack on my back, heavy as I trudged winter’s path, grows lighter. I know I will carry it many miles before I can finally set it down. And I know there will be places it weighs more than in others, but in those places I also know I have what I need to gather the strength and bear it.
I stand on the hilltop; the valley opening up before me, the dawn horizon ahead. I draw in a breath and slowly exhale. I feel a squeeze of my hand and am reminded I deserve what lay before me.
Along the sunlit path, across the untested bridges, into the mysteries shrouded by morning fog, we walk; together.
Phillip Davis is the author of Peppermint Lightning, Jack-o-’Lightning, and Justice for the Missing. He is an elementary school teacher, and mental-health advocate. He writes on the topics of writing, mental health, and self-improvement.
