A Walk I'll Remember

When I was a 10 or 11 year old we visited a beautiful park near Park Falls, WI. It is located by a river with rapids and waterfalls and a path along that river. On that day I was on the path with my mother and my then young married sister who were busy talking. Since I wasn't interested in conversation I was making a game of racing ahead of them up the hills of the path so that by the time I got to the top I could run down the other side at what I thought was pretty impressive speed. Shshhh! Then I'd walk with them again until we approached another hill where I repeated my exhilarating racing game. I was having fun! That is - until at one hill my mom - (not missing a beat of her conversation with my sister.)..grabbed my hand and said "No." My reaction... Hmph! I was peeved and sulked along behind them until we got to the top of that hill . It was a cliff ! -water crashing over rocks immediately below! I stared at those rocks and the unfriendly, raging river with disbelief! I had every intention of running up that hill at top speed to race down it even faster. If I had had my way I would have been down there on those rocks...very dead...and would have ruined the day for everybody! My mom was so enjoying conversation with my sister that she didn't seem to notice how shaken I was. She saved my life!... and hardly seemed to notice! But I did! And the horrified reaction I had has stayed with me since.
All that to say what? Nothing. Just remembering.
There are quite a few people that wouldn't be here if I had my own way back then. During the trip walking up the hill I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. My problem was - I just couldn't see the whole picture.