The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Life!

January 9, 2009

Thankfully, life isn’t uphill all the way

Inside our

By Bev Davis

I have a driveway from, well, you know, a not-so-good place.

I never think much about that until days like Thursday, when a pile of fresh snow turns it into a ski slope.

Situated at a 45-degree angle from the main road, the driveway begins with a steep little slope, curves a little, then levels out for a good distance, which is great for gaining some speed to make it around the last two curves.

The curves, however, form a graduated horseshoe. Getting around the first one slows down the vehicle, which has to stay in a curve pattern and then chug up a steeper slope.

As I was clearing tracks down the hill this week, I thought about life. Making one track all the way down goes pretty quickly, except for those intervals where I have to stop and heave a mound of snow off the shovel. Working my way back up the hill is a little harder. When I started up from the bottom, somehow I began thinking about a newborn baby.

Right out of the chute, the new little human has a steep uphill climb. Despite the fact it’s likely to be fed, changed and catered to by good parents, a baby could contract any number of deadly diseases. It has to master all the stuff we take for granted — walking, talking, processing information and basking in the wonder of being the center of the universe.

Once a baby has made it past the first hill, however, life evens out into what we Baby Boomers call “the salad days.” That time in life when we’re young, healthy and have the world by the tail. We have myriad career choices, lots of friends, and despite those unsettling and unpredictable hormonal jolts, life is good.

Then comes middle age. We realize some dreams will never come true. Life has taken some unexpected turns, and there’s much more of a struggle than we expected. We run on the momentum left from that fast run through youth, then begin chugging toward the final slope. Hopefully, I’ve gained strength and stamina through the experiences of middle age thus far, because I know I will need them to face the aging process.

It isn’t pretty. I can already feel new aches and pains. I tire out more easily and find myself fretting more over the cost of living, the never-ending problems that go with owning a home and the daily pressures of trying to manage a career and a life at the same time.

I reminded myself I’m still in training. The push and pull of daily problems develops spiritual muscles to see me through that final climb. I hope I learn well, and I pray that I will be steadfast in applying all that Life has taught me thus far.

Such pontificating may not make me a better person, but it does occupy my mind and keep my from thinking unkind thoughts about snow, sweat, cold air, an aching back — and a driveway from, well, you know where.

— E-mail:

bdavis@register-herald.com

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