Five Minute Friday: WHERE
“If explorers only thought about the destination they’re trying to reach, they would never see it. In a cave, short-sighted tunnel vision can be a lifesaver.”
Shannon Gormley wrote the above line as part of Into the Dark, an article about the Thai cave rescue. I was riveted by this article — I doubt many of us missed the news of the rescue itself last year, but the exhaustive research by the author that shed light on every angle of the rescue made me think at every twist and turn.
Knowing that I would be writing to the prompt “where,” I did set that quote aside. It aligns with so many quotes about life’s journeys, but it held a special poignancy to me as I thought about the efforts to get those boys (and their coach) out of the cave.
I know I am a better foot soldier than I am a general, and this situation was full of “generals” — and people who were accustomed to being in charge. They had to deal with cultural differences, language challenges, a perilous situation and the constant scrutiny of the media.
Even though the article is so thorough, I still walked away wondering exactly how the rescuers finally arrived at a plan and carried it out. Some of the techniques used were terribly unconventional, and showed drastic risks on the part of those who participated.
BUT EVERY ONE OF THE BOYS AND THEIR COACH LIVED!
Those boys and that coach certainly did not plan to end up where they did — deep in a cave with virtually no egress. But another group of people ended up being where they needed to be to contribute to a successful rescue. If my kid had been one of the boys in the cave, I would say grateful prayers forever.
Welcome to this week’s Five Minute Friday. Our instructions, via creator Kate Motaung: “Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.” (But I can’t resist spell checking, as you can imagine.)
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
What an awesome quote! I totally get it as a hiker. And what an amazing rescue! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! This article will stay with me for quite a while.
I need my short sighted – tunnel vision to be the Holy Spirits leading. And I need to listen to that. Instead sometimes I get side tracked by the destination (my plan). Thanks for the post.
Definitely easy to get sidetracked. Thanks for commenting.
I love a happy ending. I’m in the 45 spot this week.
I do too! I’ll visit you.
Great quote, outstanding post.
Care for a sonnet?
I’ve never held with planning things,
never looked too far ahead.
I always gave inspiration wings,
and I’m lucky I ain’t dead.
I jumped from the roof,,
well, why not, and in falling
then realised this might be a goof
whose end could be quite appalling.
An aeroplane I flew, low and fast,
so I could the onlookers inspire
but I knew this might not last
when I hit a high-tension whire.
I had fun, and if fun is a crime,
it seemed a good idea at the time.
I do care for a sonnet! Thank you. <3