One more thing about that hike through the Narrows

It was on the hike through the Narrows that I found myself, unexpectedly and all at once, forgiving Katherine.

It happened like this: at some point I was looking up at the sandstone canyon walls, which at that moment were covered everywhere with light.

And I thought: anyone who would give up such light is stupid.

And then I thought: no, not stupid. Just weak. Because as anyone who’s met even the edges of depression knows, fighting darkness takes an awful lot of strength.

And then I thought: But being weak is something I can forgive. Something I have to forgive. We’re all weak, every human being, in one way or another.

And once I thought that, I knew I could let anger go, and that it was time to do so. I threw a stone into the water, and I walked on.

Letting go of anger carries sorrows and regrets of its own, of course.

But I’m grateful to the river and the canyon, for that moment.