{"id":1214,"date":"2020-07-21T09:04:30","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T09:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/?p=1214"},"modified":"2020-07-21T09:34:28","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T09:34:28","slug":"avoidance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/2020\/07\/21\/avoidance\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoidance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 96 of the End to End in 2019 resumed on the Great Glen Way after a break on 20th July for our wedding anniversary. We had spent a pleasant day touring round the Highlands, stopping for views and bagpipers. Yesterday was equally our anniversary, this time 29 years instead of 28, although we spent a quiet day in Longdendale, a different valley.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On LEJOG there were things I would try to avoid: steep routes of long duration, walking along major roads and bad weather. None of these things could be avoided completely of course, and one or two had already crept into this narrative. But an amber weather warning seemed worth avoiding so we decided to combine to reasonable short days into one long day and not walk through the storm.<\/p>\n

The first section to Fort Augusts was along the Caledonian Canal and ended with fish and chips for an early lunch or late 11s. We were now getting into Monster country, where every item you can think of, and some you can’t, either resembles a Loch Ness monster, is emblazoned with the Loch New Monster or just named after it. Of course this is all in the name of local economics and seems to work well enough. I do wonder how that Nessie themed world is faring in 2020.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The afternoon section of the walk to Invermoriston included two things I try to avoid: a steep uphill start and a section on the road just before the end. Like I said, they cannot always be avoided. I ended the day by St Columba’s Well at Invermoriston. Legend has it that St Columba defeated the Loch Ness Monster. Seems to have worked: I’ve not seen it all day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As an adult there are things I avoid: the depiction of violence, especially sexual violence, on film for example. There are plenty of conflicts I have walked away from, to avoid a conflict I didn’t think I would win. I have retired to a quiet corner of Derbyshire and as yet, what with COVID19 have yet to re-engage with the local situation very much.<\/p>\n

We all have things we avoid. Changing our minds is something we might sometimes find difficult, if the decision has been profoundly linked to our identity in the first place. It’s like altering a part of ourselves. That’s why a lot of the words about ‘turning to Christ’ are about making a new identity. But we do change, over time, as we age, as we face new situations and challenges, as we lose some relationships and make new ones.\u00a0 It’s probably something we can’t avoid.<\/p>\n

\n

Be a bright flame before me, O God<\/b>
\na guiding star above me.<\/b>
\nBe a smooth path below me,<\/b>
\na kindly shepherd behind me<\/b>
\ntoday, tonight, and for ever.<\/b>
\n(St Columba’s Prayer)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Path smoother, as I make my way with you,
\nfearing the worst yet yearning to step into the future,
\nplease be my Flame-Star-Shepherd One,
\nwhatever the monsters which lurk in the unknown.<\/p>\n

JAL: 21.07.2020 in Longdendale.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 96 of the End to End in 2019 resumed on the Great Glen Way after a break on 20th July for our wedding anniversary. We had spent a pleasant day touring round the Highlands, stopping for views and bagpipers. Yesterday was equally our anniversary, this time 29 years instead of 28, although we spent … Continue reading “Avoidance”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-saints"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1214"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1221,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214\/revisions\/1221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}