Flashback Fridays

For those of you just joining me, this summer I'm doing Flashback Fridays as I work on finishing my books.  This post comes from nearly a year ago.  I've been going through old posts as I build my portfolio for the writers conference I'm attending (two weeks from today!).  I stumbled on this one and it still felt so true.  I hope you enjoy The Other Side of the Mountain from August 2011:

As you might imagine, I hear a fair amount of kids music these days. We have a little c.d. player (yes, we're not high tech in my house) and a stack of kids music c.d.s covering everything from the alphabet to nursery rhymes. I've had this one annoying song stuck in my head all week. It goes something like this (I apologize in advance for my singing):

The bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain, to see what he could see.
And all that he could see, and all that he could see, was the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain........was all that he could see.

Clearly the people that write children's songs are geniuses. But after hearing this song in my head for several days, the wisdom of the lyrics began to seep in. Here's a bear that is restless. Discontented. He's looking for something new, exciting, different. So he sets out on a big adventure. He's going to go to the OTHER SIDE of the mountain. Maybe it will change his life. Things could be so much better. Then he gets there. To the other side. To see what he could see. Turns out, all that was there was the other side of the mountain. Can't you hear his little bear brain whirring, "Hmmmmmmm, this is just the other side of the SAME dad-gum mountain. What was the big appeal? Why was I in such a hurry for this? It's the same mountain."

Have you been there? Are you there today? Are you fed up with your side of the mountain? Are you ready to take off to see what you can see? Leave your job, your marriage, your church, or your friends...... Unsatisfied, unfulfilled, unsettled. Wouldn't life be better on the other side? Can't you imagine what must lay JUST on the other side? Might I offer the wise words of a children's song to you? When you arrive, it will just be the other side of the same mountain. Life has a way of working that way. I know, I've gone on these adventures. They promise more than they can deliver. So hang in there. Say a little prayer. Take a deep breath. Reconsider going over the mountain.