diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'src/md/11_Melodys_Malady.md')
| -rw-r--r-- | src/md/11_Melodys_Malady.md | 69 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 69 deletions
diff --git a/src/md/11_Melodys_Malady.md b/src/md/11_Melodys_Malady.md deleted file mode 100644 index 3aa077b..0000000 --- a/src/md/11_Melodys_Malady.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,69 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Melody's Malady ---- - -By Han Ying - -This is another tale from the summer of 1973, when I took a course in -desert survival from BYU (See Chocolate Waterfalls). The day when this -incident took place was part of a phase of the course called 'Group -Expedition'. The entire class of college students participated in this -phase together. The day was typical for this time of the year in -Southern Utah. There was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was -near 100 degrees. Our group had been hiking in these conditions all day -long. We were exhausted and parched. The sun was beginning to set when -our leaders found a place they thought would be a good spot for setting -up camp to spend the night. We were all quite happy to unload our gear -and rest our tired, aching feet. Then, to our great disappointment, the -leaders informed us that we had to continue our march. They explained -that the water at this place was so brackish and salty that it was not -drinkable. The nearest good drinking water was still many miles away. -However, we had no choice but to continue our hike until we reached it. -Otherwise, we risked getting caught in the desert heat with no drinking -water. - -Amid many moans and complaints, we hauled our tired bodies off the -ground, loaded up our gear and trudged on. Up to this point, I thought I -had born our hardships well. After all, this desert experience was not -intended to be a nice little walk in the park. I expected to be -challenged by the hardships of living in the desert. But now I was -beginning to lose my will to bear it gracefully. My tired muscles ached -in places I didn't know I even had. My throat was parched and dry. My -feet were painfully sore. My discomfort was so great that my mood began -to get dark and ugly. I began to wonder why I had been so foolish to -take this course and pay good money to feel this kind of agony. - -While I was thus wallowing in my misery, something happened that changed -everything. One of our leaders asked me and a friend of mine to help a -girl named Melody. Apparently, Melody had a thyroid condition called -hypoglycemia. She was so weak that she couldn't continue without some -help. My friend and I took her gear and added it to our own backpacks. -We then placed her arms around our necks, with one of us on each side of -her. In this manner, my friend and I carried most of Melody's weight as -we continued on down the trail. The sun fell below the horizon and -darkness slowly engulfed us as we stumbled and struggled on our way. -Initially, my inner rebellion was almost to the point of boiling over. -How could they possibly be so uncaring and insensitive to my plight? -Instead of relieving my personal suffering, our course instructors had -had the nerve to add to my burden of misery by asking me to help someone -else. I had no idea that a small miracle was about to happen. - -It only took a few moments for me to perceive that Melody's sufferings -were far greater than mine. The pain and exhaustion were in her voice as -she apologized for being such a bother to us. She tried valiantly to be -cheerful and hummed softly to herself as we trudged on. As I witnessed -her courage, my own heart began to soften. Instead of concentrating on -my own troubles, I began to think of ways to help the time pass more -pleasantly for her. I tried to give her encouragement with little -complements about how well she was holding up. I tried to hum little -harmonies to her faintly uttered tunes. My reluctant acceptance of this -assignment turned out to be a great blessing to me. It made the time go -much more quickly than it had before. - -It was well after midnight when we finally arrived at the good watering -hole. I didn't mind that my place for sleeping was on the rocks of a dry -creek bed. My former weariness and discomfort were no longer a part of -my consciousness. The anger and bitterness had been replaced by the warm -glow of satisfaction that comes from serving others. I pondered upon -this small miracle as I drifted into a peaceful and gratitude filled -state of slumber. Melody's malady had healed my troubled soul. |