Running Up The Down Escalator

So, as most of you know, I went back to work two weeks ago.  I've worked in the dental industry off and on since I was 19 and chose to go back to that.  I'm now working in an office that is in the local mall.  It's not the best office, in fact, it's the worst office I've ever worked in.  The files are a mess, the computer is a mess, and we have several doctors who come and go and the patients are all confused, and I even had an assistant walk out one day this week, cuz she was so frustrated.  I've been hired to help clean up the place, which is no easy or overnight task.  All in all, it's the worst job I've ever had, but then again, no one can replace Dr. Harris and his staff up in Idaho!  I sure miss them!  

Being in the mall, we are located upstairs next to Dillards right next to some escalators.  I started on the 22nd of March, and since about noon that day the up escalator has been broken.  I'm not sure if they are waiting on parts, or what the deal is, but they haven't worked on it at all this last week and who knows when the thing will be working again.  I like to park at that end of the mall because it makes leaving work and getting home easier and faster, so I'm forced to go in the door I want - walk a little ways to the elevator, and then backtrack to the office.  Several times in the last two weeks I've been in a bit of a hurry and decided that I was fit enough to run up the down escalator.  On my first try, I thought, "this is no big deal, I've seen them walk up the down escalator on The Biggest Loser and it didn't look hard!"  So, I went full force running up them cuz they were going so darn fast.  What I didn't realize when I figured this would be an easy task was the fact that once you reach the top, you literally have to leap to get off the darn thing.  After almost killing myself and then panting like I'd just ran a marathon, I made it.  All who were watching got a lovely eye full, I'm sure.  It was quite funny when it was all said and done, and I made it to work on time.  

Sooooo, my point in sharing this story is that I've found that life is absolutely full of times when we feel as if we are running up the down escalator and taking forever to reach the top.  Then when we reach the top, it's even harder to get off than it was to climb all the way up.  Oftentimes we get in to things that we don't know how hard it will be, or what the whole experience even entails, but the rewards outweigh the risks.  It's a blessing to not know the obstacles you may face along the way, because, had you known, you would never have embarked on the journey to begin with.  I mean, really, would anyone try parenting if they fully comprehended how hard it was?  Probably not.  But what a shame it would be to rob myself of this fantastic experience I'm having raising our kids if I had held myself back because of the stress it would one day cause me over things such as potty-training, tantrums, and wearing princess dresses to the grocery store.  I served a mission for our church and there is an unwritten rule amongst those who have returned from a mission - you don't tell outgoing missionaries how hard the whole experience is, cuz they would never go.  Anyone who has gone will tell you how, on a multiplicity of levels, it was the hardest time of their lives.  BUT, they will also tell you they wouldn't trade that time in their lives for their left leg.  So much was learned and so much personal growth happened in that time in our lives, that we want others to do the same for themselves.  

So, my invitation to all of us this week is to look at the stresses we are dealing with right now, and simply look at them as the stairs on the escalator - they are going somewhere, and they are most likely going against you, but there is joy to be found somewhere at the end of the line.  You may even enjoy the bumpy journey that you are taking.  As silly as it was for me to run up those darn things, I've done it twice since.  I actually enjoyed it!