Day 50 of the End to End 2019 finished in a random supermarket car park on the edge of Preston. That was because I’d got lost (see earlier blogs for explanations about getting lost on LEJOG) and as we know everyone gets lost now and again only some stories about getting lost, or taking a wrong turning are more credible than others. I’d spent three days walking on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which is another one we need to go back to after this lock down is officially over. But I got lost when I encountered a summer fair in the park and some paths were closed off. Anyway, Bob worked out where I was and I came out on the main road, so walking along the footway I eventually made it to the random car park.
Random car parks are another thing we might need to repurpose if we don’t use cars so much. What could we make them into: skate parks, tennis courts, giant hopscotch grids?
Jesus’ parables about the lost are often remembered in my experience of facilitating RB sessions. They are a problem though: only one thing seems to get lost at time. Obviously it’s easier to look for things if you only loose one at any particular moment, but what if you loose a lot of things at once? This seems to be more like some experiences, my dad’s for instance.
At the moment a lot of people seem to be loosing the argument for honesty and the request for an apology. When a lot of people loose the same thing I observe that the situation becomes heated. A lot of other people don’t think it’s lost and keep pointing in different directions. Our society seems to be becoming more fragmented, which is not good at any time but particularly now. There’s a lot of really important life or death stuff going on, so its important not to get distracted, or it could be worse than ending up in a random car park.
From the remembered gospel:
Jesus said: ‘Which of you having 100 sheep and loosing one does not leave the 99 on the fell and go and look for the one that is lost?’
The one and the 99, or is it the 48 and the 52 still?
God of the Cosmos,
If only we could fizz off our anger in a black hole
or use it to whip up a dust storm on a far planet.
As it is we have to live with honesty and dishonesty,
with contrition and a lack of it,
with anxiety as much as with serenity.
Even if we cannot change everything
or bring back every lost one
we can be changed ourselves:
fill us with your Spirit,
so that we retain the integrity we need to live on
as servants of your kindom, lost-searchers and pilgrims.
JAL: 26.05.2020 in Longdendale.