“You seem to look upon depression as the hand of an enemy trying to crush you…Do you think you could see it instead as the hand of a friend, pressing you down to the ground on which it is safe to stand?” 

― Parker Palmer

It’s late afternoon and the sun pops out so I jump in the car and head down to the tiny park not far from our home. It is nothing to write home about, this park. But if one follows the trails that lead into the forest you can almost pretend to be out on a hike. Or if you choose to head in the opposite direction, you find a small shoreline along the lake. Often I am the only one there. On this day I walked towards the wood, looking for dabbled light and signs of spring. I had not gone far when I climbed over a fallen tree to get closer to these buds. Suddenly my foot became tangled up in old blackberry vines and I almost fell. I lost my shoe, but managed to stay on my feet. I stood still for a moment, just to make sure I was steady before allowing myself to breathe. I was safe. I think about this feeling safe and find that so much of life is learning to balance ourselves, to stay grounded, to not fall. And if by chance we do end up on the ground, we must use what stamina we have left to find solid ground once again, and move forward. Don’t we owe this to ourselves?