The Trail Will Provide

Last week when I was hiking, I was told a story about how “the trail will provide.” Joe, an AT thru-hiker who had started in Georgia three months ago, told me about running into a friend. Joe  was hiking when he came upon another thru-hiker he had met before, Frank. Frank told Joe he had run out of water. Joe asked in concern, “Do you want some of my water? I’m carrying extra.” But Frank replied, “No, the trail will provide.” Joe told this story in shock, with a warning, “Never drink the last sip. Maybe the trail provides, but you have to get the water and carry it.” As an experienced hiker, Joe knew how dangerous the trail can be, and how important hydration is.

Appalachian Trail

At the time, I basically ignored the story. I have been hiking a fair amount, and I am very cautious about always carrying extra water.

However, since then, I’ve thought more about the idea that “the trail will provide.” I know this is a common motto in thru-hiking, referring to the fact that people are often pleasantly surprised by the way things work themselves on the trail.

But what about if we think about it regarding the trail we’re on in our lives? Sometimes, it can seem like the challenges we face are impossible or overwhelming. But what if we need the trail? What if the trail provides every obstacle because we need to learn to overcome it?

As I’ve been rebuilding my life as I recover from a chronic illness, I’ve been thinking a lot about the lessons it taught me. I wouldn’t say I’m grateful for an illness that caused me so much physical pain and emotional distress over the past two years, but I am realizing how much I’ve learned from it.

Before getting sick, I never would have practiced meditation. I was a very impatient person, and getting as much done as efficiently as I could was always my priority. I didn’t like to waste time. Now that I’ve established a regular meditation practice, I’ve learned how important it is to be present in every moment. That while it can feel good to accomplish things, it’s much more important to learn how to be content regardless of what you’ve accomplished.

In the past two years I’ve read more books than I had in the rest of my life. I’ve read almost every non-fiction book I can get my hands on, learning about meditation, psychology, environmentalism, our food system, and so many more. For the first time in my life, I’ve read diverse fiction: from Barbara Kingsolver novels and other modern literature to poetry by Rumi, a 13^th Century poet.

My life motto used to be “I don’t believe in excuses.” Mostly, this focused on myself: whenever I got injured, I would never skip Frisbee practice, and I played in tournaments even after injuring my shoulder and being unable to turn my head one direction. However, this mindset affected my relationships: then friends struggled with depression and anxiety, I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just “get things done” or “decide to be happy”. When people were too sick to go to events, I considered them as lazy. Now, I realize how absurd this notion is. Obviously, I can never know what those people were going through. They were suffering from illnesses I can’t imagine dealing with and bearing unbelievable burdens just to function. Now, instead of judging, I try to listen. To be there for people and to listen to their stories. For myself, I’ve learned how to listen to what my body needs, and to slow down when I need to.

Clearly I didn’t need to get sick to learn these lessons. But maybe I did. Maybe I couldn’t understand them until something that dramatic happened to me. I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason, and I do believe that bad things often happen to good people for no reason. But I do think that when we think about our life journeys, it’s important to realize that “the trail will provide.” By living our life, we will experience what we need to experience, and learn what we need to know. It may not be what we expected or what we hoped for, but the journey of our life will provide what we need.

 

“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” – Henry Miller