Duncan Ridge ain’t Washington D.C.

Yesterday, while my dog and I were hiking along what began as a marked hiking trail, we found ourselves at a precipice. Not unlike our government. Well, maybe not a precipice but certainly a cliff. It was a physical cliff, not a fiscal cliff. But just the same, going forward would have been difficult at best and falling would have caused pain and probably injury. I surveyed the area looking for signs of the marked trail we started on. I couldn’t see any. So, we did the only smart thing. We doubled back, heading for the certainty and safety of the marked trail.

Now I have to admit that I (we) became distracted which contributed to our drifting off the trail. The dog saw them first then I did. Not 50 yards from us was a flock of turkeys walking single file along a ridge. They were making more noise walking through the leaves and brush than we and they hadn’t noticed us. So, we walked along with them, paralleling their path until they finally disappeared into the forest. It was then that I realized that we had strayed from the marked trail. It struck me that this was entirely too much like the current administration in Washington, following turkeys to the edge of a cliff.

Probably not more than 100 yards after doubling back we came to a fork in the trail. I looked this way and then that way, and this way and that way again. One way was wide and level and the other was up hill and narrow and for the life of me I couldn’t recall walking on either one. I wasn’t lost, exactly. I just didn’t have a clue how I got there. Fortunately, I had with me my ever faithful dog who usually knows the way back. I told her to lead the way (“lead the way” is how I always tell her to take me somewhere). She looked, smelled and walked around for a minute then headed up the narrow trail. I guess you could say she took the “high road”.

We walked awhile along the trail she chose and none of it looked familiar to me. I started to tell her that I thought she was going the wrong way. Midway through the sentence, we walked around a bend and there I saw a fallen tree I had sat on earlier. Amazing! She knew exactly where we were. It wasn’t too much further before we came to the marked trail and I saw where we had headed down the wrong path.

Here was another parallel to the situation we, as a country are in. Well, not exactly a parallel. When faced with the choice of proceeding forward with certain difficulty, if not disaster, I chose to turn back. Unlike the American voters, when coming to a crossroads where I didn’t know which way to go, my choice was for a loyal, capable leader.

My choice brought me all the way home to a warm shower, a hot cup of tea and comfort.

I will consider loaning my dog to Congress if they promise to feed and take care of her.