THE RIVER CROSSING

I hiked the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming with my Boy Scouts troop back when I was 14. During the hike, we came to a river that we would have to wade across. My Dad, who was volunteering to help out on the hike, found a spot that was shallow enough for us to wade across safely. We were given clear instructions before we started, “cross against the current.” But as I look up stream, I saw how fast the current was and thought to myself, “that looks too hard.” I tried picturing myself trying to push myself, one foot at a time, against the force of the river. It seemed like it would be too hard to do. I looked down stream and knew that crossing with the current would be a mistake. Then I looked straight across, and the current just did not seem so strong. So I decided to ignore the orders of my Dad, Scout Master and all the other adults with us that day.

When my turn came, I started to take a straight path across the river! As I did, everybody on both sides were yelling for me to cross against the current; but I thought, “I will show them, this is so much easier.” Just before I got out to about waist high, my foot slipped; but I quickly regained my balance. I thought to myself, “Hah — I caught myself!” But everyone continued to yell for me to cross against the current! Then I took the next step; actually I tried to take my next step. As I extended my left leg, the force of the current pushed it down stream of my right leg! At that time my legs were crossed! Everyone continued to yell to me and then I thought that maybe I should listen. I quickly repositioned my right leg to regain my balance; but before I could find a good spot to set it, the force of the river pushed my left leg down stream again! Quick I tried to reposition my right leg; but then the force of the current did it again! This time I had no chance to recover. The force of the current pushed me over side ways and began to carry me down stream. Fortunately, one of the older scouts jumped in immediately and pulled me to shore.

Two or three days later, we had to cross another river. Again my Dad found a spot shallow enough for us to cross at. Again we were instructed to cross against the current. This time I followed directions. It was strenuous pushing one foot at a time directly into the force of the current; but it did not take me long to realize something. Crossing against the current put my body in a Poisson that give me the stability to stand my ground. I finally crossed the river, I was a little bit fatigued in my legs; but I was dry from the waist up.

When we confronted with adversity in life, we try our hardest to avoid dealing with it head on. After all, there is just so must stress involved in dealing with such situation. So we try to find what appears to be an easier rout. But the adversity keeps coming and our attempts to avoid it have left us in a position to where we cannot take steps to alleviate them. We wind paying the price in the end in the form of the weakening or even total lose of our family relationships, friendships, goals, dream, joy, serenity, sobriety and even our sanity. Then we turn around and blame the people and circumstances involved in the adversity for all our misery. Or we act like we are bullet proof, “it is all water under the bridge,” we tell our selves and others. But this is far from accurate; it is actually water over our heads!