Climbing

In 1963, two American mountain climbers, Wili Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein, achieved fame, and more importantly respect, by being the first mountaineers to ever traverse a Himalayan peak. They did so on Mount Everest, the highest of them all. This year, two other men, Conrad Anker and Cory Richards, are attempting to repeat this feat. While I believe anyone who takes on Everest deserves to be noted, these two adventurers are going above and beyond (no pun intended) by attempting the West Ridge route- the most dangerous path up the infamous mountain where the probability of dying is the same as summiting.

I was reading about this in the National Geographic and it got me to thinking. All four of these climbers have purposely taken the toughest route. How often in life do we try the easiest? For everyone has their own mountain to climb. Some are mere slopes; others seem to keep growing forever.  And while there are people who can clamber over their mountains pretty quickly, many will spend their whole lives climbing. But it is better than falling.

Even the stars...

Some people are free flying, tumbling head-over-heels through life from one insubstantial thing to the next.  Others dig a little deeper and hold on, becoming more firmly rooted. Put your faith in something constant and long-lasting. Anything less is like trying to navigate a ship by the position of the clouds. But even the stars only last for billions of years.

Learning to Ride

It is often the little accomplishments one makes early during their life journey that become the most meaningful later on. Like little gems of wisdom, we lock those certain moments up and hide the treasure chest away until we have time to better ponder them.

I learned to bike when I was six. During this time I became more acquainted with the ground than I would have liked. But I kept at it that whole summer. It was a constant cycle of climbing on, balancing for a second and then down I would go. For me, taking off my training wheels was a microcosm for the whole process of growing up (and I suppose the lifelong learning that follows). You see, no one learns to fall; it is embedded in our very nature. Climbing is easy enough too. It’s the balancing that is difficult, especially when the road gets bumpy.

Look at it this way: The best thing you can do for yourself is to learn to not be ashamed of falling; just keep climbing back up. Success will come eventually. And the people on the sides of the street will cheer you on.

See you on the sidelines. J

Vision Obscured

Shame is like a red hot curtain

It wears like a heavy cloak

And with it life’s a sweltering summer

I long for winter’s white.

Small Victories

Sometimes it's the smallest things that tug at the curtains of despair and nudge you onward. I am always amazed at how even the dreariest rainy day can be transformed into a sparkling sunrise. You just have to search for the source of light. Today it was a child's pair of pink and yellow polka-dotted rain boots left out on someone's front porch. They were quickly filling with water. In my mind, they took on a life of their own, bouncing through puddles: a spraying, laughing and dancing whimsy of delight. Moments such as these are like waking from a dream. Suddenly there's a little less denial, a bit of a smile and opened eyes. Small victories. I think they're shaped like teardrops. But it's those that fill one up with joy.