16th Anniversary

(Sorry if the formatting looks kind of weird.  I'm having trouble with my blog publisher again.)
Friday was Mark and I’s 16th anniversary. I taught my morning class and Mark worked for the morning, then we met up just after noon to leave for a hike to Buzzards Rock.  Lately, we’ve been hiking different sections of the Appalachian Trail, and we’ve enjoyed each of the hikes we’ve been on.  This time we decided to try a hike on the Virginia/West Virginia border called Keys Gap/Buzzards Rock.  It was recommended as a good hike in the winter because when there are leaves on the trees the views are obstructed. We had a relatively mild day and hiked about 4 miles to the top of Buzzards Rock then made the hike back to the car.  

On our way home, we stopped by the Old 690 Brewery to try one of their local beers and sit out by the fire, then we eventually made it home for showers and then out do dinner. It was a great day and a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.  Hiking is something we both enjoy, but it’s also a great metaphor for marriage.  There are the obvious connections between marriage and hiking like the highs and lows, mountain top times and valley times, challenges, joys, etc, but even more than that, both hiking and marriage bring together different people with different personalities and approaches and assumes they’ll stick together through a journey.

The reasons why people get into marriage and hiking are often very different.  In hiking, for example, one type of person may be concerned with how fast one gets to the summit, or the amount of steps or intestity minutes their activity tracker measures. Another type of person may not even own an activity tracker or wear a watch but would haul around a big camera up and down the mountain just for the hope of seeing something cool to take a picture of.  Not that I'm speaking of any couple in particular here! 

Marriage and hiking also assume that there is a common goal in mind.  There’s a summit to reach or a goal to arrive at, there’s a certain amount of preparation necessary, and it helps to have some sort of map or advice from others who have made the journey before you.  Sometimes the path seems exhilerating and fun, and sometimes the path seems rocky and difficult.  Sometimes the view of where you’re headed is limited - there’s too much that’s obscured and the path ahead is just what you see in front of you, yet sometimes you break out of the obscurity and see a gorgeous view of what may be ahead.  The view is clear, and Lord willing, you see what could be in your future.  

Ultimately, both are a journey that you set out on with someone you don’t mind spending some time with.  There will be times with bubbling conversation, and there will be times of just quiet walking along and sharing the company.  Either way, you have to commit not only to making it to your destination, but sometimes you have to commit to tracking back to where you started. Sometimes you're side by side and sometimes you give a little space to your partner to figure out his/her own way.  The more you think about it, the more you could keep going with the comparisons, and everyone’s journey and approach isn’t the same, but maybe committment and giving grace in differences is the way to get the most out of them both.  Lord willing there will be more years of hikes and marriage ahead for us!