Walking Buddies and Model Airplanes

Every morning we walk. Each of us get out of our beds (I wish I could say, no matter the weather) and grabbing coats and hats, and sometimes even gloves—one of us even has a walking stick — meet at the assigned place. And off we go.

It’s nothing too fancy. We are a pretty funny looking group — four other friends, my husband, and me. Hair, sticking out all sorts of ways — for the girls, usually no makeup on, and for the guys, snug t-shirts over the memory of what once was a six-pack of abs — but we meet each other with a wry smile and a grin and a “Come on children, let’s get going.” With one foot in front of the other, sometimes more asleep than not, we begin.

Walking alone is no fun, and it’s been my experience, that unless you are committed beyond your wildest dreams, the high hopes of Monday fizzle into the “I’m aching too much, let me pull the covers back over my head, Wednesday.” Add in, that because you’re trying to start your workday before 10 a.m., you’re usually trying to walk at dawn’s early light. More times than you’d like to admit, and like a mixed-up scene from several movies, the mournful tune of “Taps” begins to metaphorically play in the background, as you roll over convincing yourself as if you were Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow’s another day.”

But isn’t this the way it is?  Whether it’s on the job, part of the team, or just about anything, life is so much easier if you’re tackling it with someone else. Have you ever seen a quarterback all by himself, out on a football field, tossing the ball to absolutely no one else, yelling, “I’ve got it? I’ve got this!” (Sometimes, by the way some games are played, you may truly feel like you have already witnessed this very thing.) Or, on the job, working on a project with a team of people—if you tried to do every aspect of what is needed, and sometimes you feel as if you are, you would lose your mind.

Truly, we need each other. We thrive because of each other. An encouraging smile, a good joke, a pat on the back, or even a push up a steep hill when walking together can make all the difference.

Back, many years ago, in my early twenties and in a great delusion of grandeur, I decided for my now late-husband’s birthday (which was the very next day), I was going to, after work, build him one of those beautiful balsa wood airplane models— the ones that are three-feet wide and about four-feet long and look like an exact miniature of the Wright Brothers plane they flew at Kitty Hawk. But close to 11 p.m. that night, as my discouraged heart was simultaneously giving up and in a panic trying to think of the next best present, my phone rings. On the other end was the voice of one of my co-workers asking how I was doing and if I needed any help to which I replied an incredulous “yes.”  She came over and at about five in the morning, we finished that beautiful airplane and a very cherished friendship began. The work paid off; my husband loved the plane and hung it where everyone could see and appreciate it.

God recognized when He created Eve for Adam it was not good that man should be alone. Genesis 2:18

And later in the Bible — “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.  Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” -Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)

So the next time you want to go it alone, take these words to heart. Jesus is always there for you. In Hebrews 13: 5,8 He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us — that He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

We ALL need someone else. Remember, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

Much love,
Kimberly

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