Appreciating the Shoulders

Sometimes the country roads I walk don’t offer much of a shoulder. Not infrequently I have to step out into the lane to avoid debris, leaving me at the mercy of oncoming drivers. Thankfully, almost everyone moves way over and waves as they go by.

Navigating narrow shoulders is kind of like finding ways to approach people that at first don’t seem to offer much in the way of common ground. There’s not much room and sometimes there’s a big blackberry branch sticking out just waiting to snag my leg.

But yesterday I was walking along and that thin shoulder offered a different perspective that I almost missed. The wild sweet peas cast a shadow on the shoulder line and in that moment I was able to appreciate what the narrow path had surprised me with.

That’s a good reminder for me: finding my way with other people requires me to not just walk the roads with wide shoulders. I need to walk the roads with overgrown shoulders and pay particular attention to unexpected moments of beauty.