Give Someone--or Yourself--a Lift

I felt brave on the lift.

Anybody else afraid of chair lifts?  Even though I’m not a skier I’ve been on some, and they just feel so open, which is probably purposefully designed for the thrill seekers who attach their feet to snowboards or skis.  This past summer we took the kids to Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts, and my heart flipped when I saw my two older kids inch their way up the mountain to the alpine slide entrance.  Their bodies looked incredibly exposed on those lifts, like they could just fall down from the sky towards an injury.  Sure, the ride up the mountain—in snow or summer—is relatively easy, and the ride down is heavily charged with joy, tinged with terrifying terror at times. 

When does the going get easy?  During my twenties and thirties most of living focused on building a life.  It would seem, at this perch of plenty, that we should be able to enjoy the view, not work as doggedly tired, and relish the ride down--savor what we’ve created—even for a short while.  But I’m starting to feel like that’s not the course.  Lately my heart has been heavy for friends who are grieving for sick or recently deceased loved ones or who are depressed and scared about their own illnesses.  Sometimes I feel-- at this point in life-- we are dodging fateful health blows, periodically looking up to see what will shower on us.

Work hard.  Make decent decisions.  Live by a moral code.  Do good for others.  How do we lift ourselves up when we try our best, yet destiny has a way of striking our hearts so that we are forever changed?

I don’t have the answers; there’s so much that happens on Earth that is inexplicable.  All I do know is that when times get tough it helps to rely on friendship, spend time with the people who comfort you, and acknowledge that the open air, vulnerable chairs will keep rounding the bend and pick us up.  We need to have faith that we will fall back into the seat to be taken for another ride.  The chair lift on Jiminy Peak doesn’t stop—even in summer--and as long as we’re here on Earth we might as well be calmed by the soothing repetition, the scenic views, and the sometimes quiet of the ride.  For who knows how bumpy the run down the mountain will be?  Those sky rides can be scary, and if you know someone who has been shaken reach out and give them a lift of love.  That’s the ticket.