Every now and then nearly everyone thinks about suicide. Life has its dark, downside. And it has it marvelous upside. Consider the fact that everything is temporary. When life really sucks, it is temporary. When life is so wonderful it just couldn't be any better, it is temporary. And because we flip back and forth, from pain to joy, we learn that we are strong and that even in the dark downside of life, we learn, and we widen our capacity for joy.
I'm a backpacker. Last week several of my buddies and I climbed up to Pear Lake in the Sequoia National Park. It was nearly a 3,000-foot climb from the trailhead. That sixth mile was so hard. My shoulders hurt from the backpack. My knees were biting me from the inside with each step. My lungs heaved and struggled for oxygen. And when we arrived at the top, stepped over the creek, and put our packs down at the campsite, my heart was glad. We made it. The lake was beautiful. The full moon crested over the rocky ridge. It was awesome. A couple of days later we descended the 3,000 feet. My shoulders hurt, my knees bit me from the inside and I didn't care. I was happy.
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