A new labyrinth

A new year and new labyrinth! This year it's faced the other direction with the entrance toward the house and not the side of the patio. It's made with stakes, twine and twinkle lights. The paths are staked out regardless of the snow or melting.

The winter has been different this year as well. During my last walk I experienced the ground from all seasons: dry grass, deep puddles, soggy ground, thin icy parts and deep snow. (The yard melts in varying degrees because of the shadows of the buildings.)

Metaphor? Of course! Life may feel easy to navigate in the dry patches, but suddenly your inadequate-for-water-boots are damp because you stepped in a puddle. Then, after moving through that, you get to do a 180 (on the path of the labyrinth there are many of those) and head back into the the same thing you just walked through. Have you learned anything yet? Repeat as necessary.

Through the ice you move slowly- it's easy to watch your step now after the ker-splash of the puddle- but you didn't realize ice could move to the treacherous and uneven mounds of snow. This is hard work. It's hard to remember why this path was even desirable. Every step requires concentration so surely there isn't time for reflection and great ideas. Isn't this so like life? Every day requires so much time in the physical duties and in the basic maintenance of self, home, work and family, where is the time and space for the much need quiet reflection.

And so on I go. Up and down the labyrinth path...when I get there. It's not often. It's less often than last year even (when I so beat myself up for not 'following my spiritual path'), but I'm okay with that. Sometimes I am up for the intense metaphors offered by the labyrinth and other times I'm just busy watching my literal steps in life! :-)