A walk remembered, but almost not taken

Being in meetings for the last couple of days means lack of exercise and lots of food. So, when I've had the chance, I've gone for a walk or at least stepped outside to soak up the sun. This morning my first walk began with a pair of 2yo twins and their mother who was kind enough to bring them to visit. As we began walking we followed the path to a point where it leads under a bridge. As the cars rumbled above, one of the twins was hesitant to go under the bridge. Each noise brought a look of panic until he reached for me. I scooped him up and, no matter how hard his mother and I tried to convince him otherwise, he did not want to go under the bridge.

After lunch later I decided to let the vitamin D wash over me. And, as I stood there alone, the tears began to flow again. One of my friends came up and stood with me and consoled me for a bit. Then we went for a walk. We walked under the bridge and down the path further. The path followed the river and turned into a beautiful walk. The trees were a beautiful variety of fall colors. We encountered families, dogs, joggers, and bike riders as we walked for about a mile. It was very calming. 

At the close of the meetings for the day I came back to my room, changed shoes, and walked in the opposite direction, this time alone. Again the walk was beautiful and I began to focus on the beauty of what I was seeing and less on the beautiful woman I would not be sharing it with. And the walk brought a little peace to my day. 

Then I got to thinking about my early morning walking companion. I would guess that his little mind has forgotten already the walk. He is no longer in a panic from the noise of overhead traffic. But he is also not remembering the beautiful scene beyond the bridge. He didn't get to see the other people, the bikes, or the dogs. This boy did not enjoy these things because of his fear of the unknown. He didn't know what made the sound, he only knew that he did not like it. 

My journey is filled with the unknown. Much of it I fear. I am being forced to cross under the bridge and I don't like the sounds of it. But if I don't cross over, if I don't break through my fears, then I may never see the beauty that could be waiting for me on the other side. And I don't want to miss out on the beauty that may await me. 

What about you? What gives you fear? What keeps you from crossing over and missing out on the beauty that God may have waiting for you? Are you willing to take that chance? I will if you will.