In the part of the country where I live, there are still many gravel roads, and some paved roads that have not been drastically changed for a century or so. One of the things I noticed, especially on the gravel ones, is about halfway up an incline, there will be a level area about 20 or 30 feet long, then the road angles again toward the crest of the hill. I wondered about this on several roads I saw (especially if I am running on the roads), until I remembered something my dad talked about years ago.
When he was growing up in southwest Arkansas, and the family went to visit grandma, they would go in a wagon pulled by horses or mules. In the middle of an incline, they would stop the wagon, put a rock behind the wagon wheels, and let the animals rest for awhile before continuing up the hill. It was my dad’s job as a youngster to get the rock behind the wheels.
So, these level places on the local roads in my neighborhood were for the same purpose. The animals could rest briefly before pulling the load to the top of the hill.
It’s interesting that we’ve known for centuries how to treat animals that work for us, but we still are not good at “resting” ourselves when pulling the loads in life. We plod up the inclined challenges as if we will never run out of energy until we cannot go further, and then we pull at the reigns again.
Let me suggest you look for or create a level place to let your body, emotions, and spirit rest before you pull again.
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