The Journey of a Thousand Miles…
How my family prepared me to take on life.
It was really hot outside, and my
feet were hurting from walking so much. My Dad and Grandpa said that this was
going to be a quick hike, but it felt like we had been out for hours. If I had stayed with Mom and Grandma, I
could have stayed in their cool camper, I thought, but I’m here walking around instead. I’m never going to go hiking again
ever!
“Dad, are we there yet?” I whined
out.
“No, we’ve still got a little bit
more to go.” That’s what he said a little
bit ago, I said to myself.
“But I’m so tired!” I really was, there was no denying myself that. My little
six-year-old body had never been through so much physical activity. (Okay,
maybe it had, but at the moment, I felt like I was going to die.) Tears began
to well in my eyes as I faced the possibility of certain death.
“Suck it up, kid.” My Grandpa’s
sage words of wisdom still ring in my ears today and it’s not just because he still says it. I was startled, taken
aback, and alarmed. Why did Grandpa just
say such a mean thing to me? I didn’t deserve that! I’m the victim here! (Does
six-year-old Holly know what the words taken aback or victim mean? Probably
not, but this is twenty-one-year-old Holly telling the story, suck it up!)
Despite the feeling of shock that hit me when he said it, I took my Grandpa’s
words of advice to heart, wiped the tears away, and continued on the
never-ending hike for the next 15 minutes until we got back to the camper.
When we arrived at the public campground, I went with my sister to play with our cousins and other children on
the playground as our parents and grandparents gathered round to get the
campfire started for dinner. An ice-cream truck came around and my Dad bought
me a popsicle, to which I promptly got my tongue stuck to. After unsticking my
tongue, we all sat around and enjoyed the hotdogs that Dad, Grandpa, and Uncle
Kent made on the propane grill while the mosquitoes got zapped by a florescent
blue light.
*****
As far as earliest memories go,
this has got to be one of the clearer ones. There were several occasions in
which my family went on camping trips to have reunions with my Mom’s side of
the family. To be honest, it’s possible that I could have just melded together
a few different camping trips. Nonetheless, those memories remain very clear.
(There was even a time when I climbed on top of one of those covered plastic
slides, fell off, and got the air knocked out of me. There was a life lesson
there, but I feel like that was pretty much Don’t be dumb.)
My childhood was a normal and
blessed one. And don’t worry, you’ll be able to hear about many more of my
melodramatic childhood perceptions. As of now, I wanted to focus on this one
story and the moral that I have taken with me as I go, and that was in the wise
words of my Grandpa: “Suck it up.”
One might look at my Grandpa as a
rough and tough kind of guy. The lesson that he taught me was to quit being a
whiny baby and get on with the hike. But I have adopted this one-liner as a
life lesson and a bit of a motto for when times get tough.
See, the world wants us to think
that life should be easy and that everything should be cupcakes and rainbows,
or that the world is our oyster (Think: Hakuna
Matata). But sometimes (or most of the times) that’s absolutely not the
case. Life is hard, and tough, and gritty. The pathway gets a little bit
clouded over by fatigue, hopelessness, and enduring trials, during which time,
we just want to sit down and give up. When I see nothing but fog in my
hypothetical life path, I always hear those wise words, “Suck it up.”
This isn’t to say that life is
always hard and tough. Men (and women) are that they might have joy. We
are supposed to have a plentiful bounty of happiness in our lives, but we can’t
know true happiness unless we pass through sorrow as well! Now, I don’t want
you to get nauseated, but think back to the last time you had a cold. Remember
your scratchy throat, watery eyes, swollen glands, congested sinuses, and runny
nose? (Also, think of how “suck it up” could apply there! Yuck!) Do you
remember how absolutely disgusted you felt then? How do you feel now that
you’re healthy and well? Can you appreciate your soothed throat, clear eyes,
normal-sized glands, and decongested sinuses? Life is so very much like that.
That’s why when we are passing through life’s trials we must brave the worst
and “Suck it up!” As soon as we do, we will be able to appreciate the good in our lives because we know the bad.
When we “suck it up,” we push
through the rough and tough in order to make it through to the smooth sailing.
We accept the fact that for now, this situation is bogus and ridiculous, but
that doesn’t mean that our entire life will be. We have hope for tomorrow so we
“suck it up.” When we “suck it up” we know that there will be better things
ahead (remember my playground and the barbecue?) but there will also be more
trials (remember my popsicle?). No matter what happens, we will be protected
and looked after by someone who loves and cares for us.
So suck it up! Life will get
better! And remember, there is always someone who cares for you!
Side Note: The aforementioned story did not affect my feelings towards hikes. Currently, I love taking hikes and going on adventures.
Also, here is my promised "real-life" photo from that same hike. Okay, the sun was in our eyes and I couldn't see how flattering the photo was... At least Brittney looked great! You go Britt!!!
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