Scottish Mountaineering

Yesterday, I came across a familiar passage from a sixty-year-old book.  The 1951 book, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, was written by W.H. Murray.  I have seen the passage before, although I'm not quite sure when.  I was happy to read it again.  Murray was writing about mountaineering, but I think he found a truth with far broader reach:

... but when I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money— booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

Maybe such insight is available only after the fact.  I don't think it's necessarily so.  After all, Murray's autobiography was entitled The Evidence of Things Not Seen--which is how St. Paul defined that quality that allows you to leap from Point A.

Around the web

Things were a little crazy at the old homestead last week.  So, rather than actually write something myself, I'll apply my favorite lesson from grad school: "Creativity is nice; plagiarism is faster."  In this instance, I'd only like to take credit for what follows.  I promise I'll cite the work of others...

First, I'll be setting a reminder in Outlook for August 31, Overdose Awareness Day.  I didn't know about this one until after the fact.  Now, I have a year to think about a proper observance next year.   Thanks, Eve, for putting that one up.

The first link takes you to a web site that wasn't around when I was trying to start getting sober.  It looks like the fix is a good place to look around, especially the fix 411, which contains a host of resources to assist those trying to get sober, who are living sober, or who are just interested in addiction.

The other post is one that I really liked.  The post wasn't intended as advice, but it contains a simple suggestion that I should contemplate every day, words that come from someone I recognize:

Here's your life. Do the work. Let it take you where it takes you. Just remain in my love.

The story that surrounds this passage is not even close to the point of this particular exercise in blogging. Even so, these words encourage me on difficult days, on painful days, on days when I'm plotting my escape from all of this, whatever "this" may be.