A Long Happy Walk

I've told the story before on this blog, but my motorcycle accident occured, in part, because my car was not running well and I chose to take my bike to get a haircut. A few days before the accident I had gone to a mechanic to have some work done on my car. On that day I took a backpack full of books in order to work on a sermon while waiting for the repair. A short time after getting settled I was told that the repair couldn't be finished until the folowing day, so I shoved everything into the backpack and trekked my way back home on foot. It involved several miles of walking, but no biggie. 

A few months after the accident I started to think about that little journey that I had taken just a few days before the accident and I sadly thought to myself that I would never be able to do something like that again. I was pretty much convinced that my body was so heavily damaged that I was finished with any kind of walking that involved longer distances. Well...I have for years now been walking several miles daily, and I have been on several trips that required miles of walking each day. Yay for me, yes?

The big deal today, however, invoves symbolism, not really accomplishment. My car broke down a couple of days ago and I had to have it towed to a mechanic yesterday. I was called this morning and told that the work was finished. My daughter owns a car, but she and my wife were using it for work. Last night a member of the church offered to give me a ride to pick up the car when it was ready, but I declined the offer. Why? Because it's the same mechanic at the same location. I wanted to walk all of the miles down the same route that I once believed I could never walk again. It was more of a victory lap for me today, and neither the miles nor the heat mattered one bit as I gladly did what I once thought I couldn't do. Life is good.