Great Rewards: Keeping Your Eye on the Prize
There’s an old sayin’ that goes something like this: Great things come to those who wait. (Come to think of it, isn’t that the tagline from a ketchup commercial?)
Well, take it from me, it’s an old saying, ‘K? But as sayings go, isn’t there something missing? I mean, if all it took to receive great things was to wait, I’d be a rich and famous zillionaire several times over by now, y’know?
Obviously something’s missing.
Personally, I think the missing element to that particular sayin’ is, well, the challenge of workin’ for that great thing, don’cha think? I mean, sure having something nice fall unexpectedly in your lap is a favorite daydream for pretty much all of us, right? But how often does that happen? Not much, Bubba!
No, the most common, and likely more appreciated “great” things we receive these days are things we earn. Things we work for. They’re our just rewards for hard work or effort of something we had to do, y’know? And they’re not unexpected; no, not at all! They’re the prize for a job well done.
Cape Lookout, Oregon
A while back while living up in Oregon, Mrs. MZM and I took a weekend off to sorta tour the scenery along the coastline. I’ll tell ya; that is some beautiful country! I wouldn’t mind too much living in those parts permanently; in my humble opinion it’s got some of the finest coastline in the entire U.S., bar none.
Anyway, we were moseyin’ along in sightseein’ mode, toolin’ north along Hiway 101, when we noticed a sign pointing to something called Cape Lookout. Now it seems to me, one really fine way to catch a terrific scenic view of a coastline is to view it from a cape. So, we turned west on what was named, appropriately enough, Cape Lookout Road and prepared to be amazed.
Well, the road went up, then it went down. Then it twisted, then it turned, then it pretty much did the hokey-pokey and turned us all around! I’m tellin’ ya, I had NO idea which way we were goin’! (I had visions of rescue parties searching vainly for our vehicle… once someone realized we were lost, of course.) Eventually, though, we ended up at the top of a hill, and off to the side was the Cape Lookout parking area. Somehow we made it!
To our surprise, though, there was absolutely no view whatsoever. According to the sign, you had to *ahem* hike out to the point for the rumored view. (Up until now I’d heard of “hiking”, but have never actually seen it. Must be something those native Oregonians do…) Needless to say, we were a mite taken aback; talk about your bait-and-switch! It seemed kinda cruel to promise a spectacular view, then make you work for it, y’know? And worse, it looked like the trail led into a rather dense forest. What about the lions, tigers and bears (we said)? Oh, my!
Still, the promise of glorious sights… Anyway, we decided to throw caution to the winds and give it a shot. So we headed off into the deep, dark woods, keepin’ our eyes peeled for the aforementioned critters. Luckily, the trail appeared to be quite well travelled, so it was easy to follow. No breadcrumbs necessary at all.
I have to admit, once we got into it, the walk turned almost magical. The bright sunlight dimmed considerably as it filtered through the boughs of innumerable huge redwoods and other big trees. The ground was covered by dense undergrowth, muting our steps, and everywhere the rich scent of green filled our noses with the perfume of rainforest. It was amazing!
The trail kept on going, and before too long we began to wonder just how far it might be. I mean, we were on a cape, so I figured we could only get so far in any direction before we got our feet wet, y’know? But after 20 minutes, there was still nothing but forest around us. I was about ready to turn back.
Finally, up ahead on the left, there seemed to be a much brighter area on the trail. That meant a clearing of some kind, so we decided to see if there were anything to see before turning back. It was like coming up to a corner of a building, then turning the corner and having this… incredible vista spread out in front of us!
Alas, that photo up there simply can’t do it justice. I’m guessin’ we were maybe 300 feet above sea level, and the way the sun played with the clouds and the mist thrown up by the wind… well, it was quite a sight! To this day, we’re grateful we had a chance to see it – even if we did have to work for it, y’know?
Keepin’ Your Eye on the Prize
I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: good things come to those who are willing to do what is necessary to achieve them. (Yes, I really said that; see my guest post at Confident Writing) And what’s really wonderful about those good things that – finally – come along is, they’re all the sweeter for the effort you had to put into it!
That’s the great reward for what you had to do. It’s like the goals you’ve focused on all these days, weeks or even years; when you finally hit the finish line, it’s sweeter than a big ol’ bowl of Blue Bell Banana Pudding Ice Cream! (And trust me Bubba; that’s some sweet dish!)
I’ll tell ya; the incredible view we got that day – it’ll always stay with us (and I don’t just mean as a photo, either). No, it was an all-the-more-fantastic and beautiful reward for the effort it took to find it!
So what prize have you got in your sights right now? Have you expended the effort to reach it? How much longer do you think it’ll take to achieve? What advice would YOU give someone in your place? Drop your suggestions in the comment box and let’s share the wealth of experience we represent with each other! Don’t worry; I’ll leave the light on.
______________________________
Photo: Windy Day on the Oregon Coast, by Robert Hruzek
______________________________
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=fc295c02-87cc-4c97-b898-fd00b73091cc){kind=small}
No responses yet
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
Story helps us see so much, Robert, and you weave some that take the ups and downs, twists, turns and entering forest that you describe here. But keeping the goal in mind all the while. And the reward and prize is always there for us at the end. Thanks.
.-= Robyn McMaster´s last blog ..Blogging Expands Minds =-.
Robert, I think this is one of the reasons I love walking and hiking – there’s always some challenge, some point when you think you’re lost, or tired, or can’t go any more… but you keep going anyway and something happens: a path appears, the trees thin out, the vista opens. Each and every time
.-= Joanna Young´s last blog ..Creating, Sharing and the Breath of Possibility =-.
Great picture! Great story! Thank you.
.-= Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk´s last blog ..Tending and Befriending =-.
@Robyn – You’re absolutely right, Robyn; sometimes the only thing keepin’ us goin’ is the prospect of that prize at the end. And the fact is, if the prize is enough, we can go through anything to get there!
@Joanna – Yes, of course you’re right. But I have to admit; the LENGTH of this trail was a tad longer than we were expecting. I’m just glad we got as far as we did – we would’ve missed quite a sight, y’know? These days, I’m far more adventurous than I was back then though. Too bad.
@Jean – Hey, thanks for sayin’ so, Jean; a tip o’ the hat to ya!
I think the quote, “good things come to those who wait,” was invented by the same guy who thought up, “patience is a virtue.” I think it all depends on the situation. There are times in life when waiting is required to get results. Then on the other hand sometimes it takes determined action to get what you want. You’re post definitely made me want to go hiking again
.-= Brooke Campbell´s last blog ..Fenphedra and Fen 72 Diet Pill Combo =-.
You are absolutley right robert, “Great things come to those who wait”. great saying…
You must have to wait to get some great result, definitly one must put some effort to get the result…
Hi Robert, do you know the book ” It’s Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be” from Paul Arden” ? It’s really good and focusses on achieving your goals and generally being successful in life. A change of scenery is always good to reflect in my opinion. I love the pict btw!
.-= Frank Zweegers´s last blog ..The Girl with the Pearl Earring =-.
@Brooke – All I’m sayin’, Brook, is that waiting can’t possibly be the whole ball of wax. If you haven’t done anything to help make happen what you want to happen – well, it just ain’t gonna happen, y’know?
@Evan – Absolutely, Evan; absolutely.
@Frank – Thanks, Bubba! That scene is burned into my brain pretty good, I’ll tell ya. MOST impressive spot I’ve ever stood.
I love the analogy you’ve used here. I spend most of my vacations trying to seek out gorgeous non-commercial coastline scenery. My last one was to the Rhode Island Narrangansett Bay area where we were equally rewarded for following the not-so-travelled path. There’s a lot of great parallels in what you described with life and I believe you have to enjoy the journey as much as the reward. Thanks for an interesting read.
.-= Blane´s last blog ..Cheap At Home Pen Teeth Whitening System That Really Works Offers Free Trial =-.
@Blane – Hey, I appreciate your kind words, Blane. I agree with your sentiment: we should enjoy the journeys!
Robert, this is such a beautiful view and viewpoint. You are so right that we value and appreciate the fruits of our labor when we actually had a hand in the harvesting. In fact, I venture to say that without the hard work, challenge, effort and failures we would not have the capacity to appreciate the blessings that come without our effort. Thanks Robert for reminding me to keep trudging through the forest. After your post I do believe sunlight right up there.
.-= Karen Swim´s last blog ..How Bulletproof is Your Reputation? =-.
Robert, sometimes, a story can give us many valuable lessons. As a teacher, I loved to share my stories with my students and hope they’re learning something useful from it!
PS: What a lovely view, by staring on the picture for a few seconds, it swept all my tension away, Robert!
@Karen – Perhaps you’re right there. Our capacity to enjoy the fruits of our labor really do increase when our labor increases along with it. Hey, great thought, Karen! Tip o’ the hat to ya!
@Wilson – Yeah, that picture does the same to me, too. So relaxing… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
That view is absolutely breathtaking. Just imagine if you have given up on your trail and didn’t get the chance to experience this great pleasure.
.-= Danny´s last blog ..Maravilla Resort Destin Florida =-.
@Danny – You’re absolutely right, Danny! I’m so glad we pressed on…