Climbing Those Stairs

Climbing Those Stairs
            A few years ago, a beloved neighbor was battling a devastating illness. Despite the heavy toll it took, she kept walking for nearby errands. Though my instinct was to give her a hug as she walked by, some days I let her chug forward unimpeded. She was tapping all resources to make it to her own front steps and door.
            “I’m almost home. I’m almost home. I’m almost home,” she’d chant as she methodically picked up one foot after the other, until she got to those stairs and up to that door.
            Her instinctive determination to keep moving, to make it up those stairs by what strength she had left, was a heart wrenching inspiration to me.
            Maybe we all instinctively chant our way forward to persevere through hard times. The last few steps of a long stairway feel like that to me. “Just a few more steps, just a few more steps,” I think.
            As we search for ways to help our severely autistic son find progress and happiness, we have to keep moving, too, despite being tired sometimes.
            We keep climbing those stairs, climbing those stairs, climbing those stairs until we reach a plateau and have a chance to rest and catch the view.
            Then we’ll do the same thing again, happy to make it a few steps forward on a new day. May everyone find the strength to keep putting one foot forward, and the insight to stop and appreciate the view on those rest breaks.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Dragonfly Creek to Fort Scott - Presidio, leads readers along a variety of scenic stone stairways and paths, in a lesser traveled part of San Francisco’s Presidio.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share.
New this week:
Hike Notes 107: Dragonfly Creek to Fort Scott - Presidio