The Lantern On The Hill
There’s a loneliness I’ve been embracing that no one warns you about. A quiet that greets you at the height of growth. One would think maturity will make us more understood. Often, it does the opposite. The higher you climb toward clarity, the fewer companions you find beside you. I recall one of my elders saying:
“Growth will thin the crowd, but thicken your soul.”
And now, standing where I stand, I see what she meant.
We’re all responsible for ourselves, even in the quiet hills maturity leads us to.
A Parable
The way maturity isolates you is like a lantern set high upon a hill. When it is first lit, all gather close, for the flame is near and warms many. But as the flame grows stronger, it is lifted higher to guide those still far off in the dark.
Some will not climb the hill. The road is narrow, the stones cut the feet, and the climb demands endurance. They remain below, preferring familiar shadows. But those who climb (though fewer in number) see further than before, and the path before them is made plain.