I was looking at pictures that I had taken recently, for inspiration, really. I thought they were pretty good scenery and I started to think about what they say to me.

The picture above is from stairs leading down to this waterfall that I never knew was only 40 minutes away from where I lived. I had run into another school parent at the grocery store and they had mentioned it and told me where it was.

It was fall already and living in a very snowy area, I knew there would not be too many more opportunities to see it before winter would settle in.

So, we went on the weekend day when there was going to be some actual sun. I also live in a cloudy area of the United States, so you must take the sunny days and celebrate them when you can.

As I looked at this picture a few months later, which was this past week, I saw it more as the steps going up, not down.

For with steps, going down is the easy part. The hard part is going up.

And with bad knees, the going up can be hard.

So, you can imagine what I might have been thinking as I was standing at the bottom of these stairs and looking up.

These stairs remind me of life, our paths that we are on, the stairs we must climb. It can be hard.

But then so is life…the steps are our obstacles that we must endure.

And with the obstacles that we carry with us, that can weigh us down, it is like we are trying to climb these steps with heavy bundles on our backs.

These obstacles can be general like bills, mortgage, jobs, parenting, savings, relationships…and they can be more specific to our situation like addictions, violence, abuse, poverty, disease, and mental illness.

As we start on our stairway, it can look so long and daunting…can we make it all the way?

Sometimes the steps are only a few, some are longer, and some can seem insurmountable.

But we begin our journey, figuratively and literally, climbing those stairs.

We start on the journey. Sometimes, we need to take a rest, catch our breath, but we continue.

And with each step, we look back at how far we have come…and we move on.

As we continue up the path, the steps are less. We have tackled different obstacles as they have been put in our path.

But more obstacles are there, to figure out, conquer, endure…and press on.

For that is what we do. Life is ever changing, in good and bad ways.

It is not easy. If we try to keep in mind that we can rest, ask for help, let others help us and know there are others having a hard time too, it may comfort us.

So, as we move on up our own personal stairs, take the time you need, take the rest and breaks that you need, feel the obstacles in your path, and then do your best to work your way around them, over them, and through them.

We may stumble. We may fall. But that is life!

How about you? Do your stairs seem insurmountable at times? Do you have support when you need it? Do you look back and think how far you have come?

I have conquered some obstacles along the way, but at times those stairs still seem daunting. Keep at it and let me know the strategies you have used to get through those hard times. Comment below.