Climbing Through Life

The previous story was written some time ago. Today another story came to my mind. While "The Climber" tells how we need each other in life and what it means to be there for someone and to have them for you, I thought about a similar story on climbing a mountain and how that can represent life. This is a "sister" story to the previous post but different in the message that it has.

Climbing Through Life

The climber was approaching the midpoint to the summit. He was breathing heavily but steady and was spending much of his time moving from one side to another to avoid the obstacles in the path that he was treading. There was no doubt that he would reach the goal of the summit but by what path was not determined. Sweat came easily with the exertion but it was a rewarding sweat of accomplishment. Step by careful step he approached the midway point and a time to rest before resuming the arduous journey ever upward.

Eventually first one then the other foot struck the ledge upon which he would rest. He carefully sat down and pulled out his water to rehydrate himself. He looked up and could see the climb to come but it was shrouded in a mist that allowed for some mystery as to what path he would tread. As his breathing dropped to a restful level he began to take his attention off of the needs his body was signaling and took a look around.

As far as the eye could see were mountains and valleys. Towns, villages and isolated homes could be spied from this height. The forests that were as of yet unclaimed formed a buffer between those clumps of manmade structures and swept up to the mountains slowly giving away at the alpine level to the last hardy trees and plants that reach up to the summit, never to reach it. The beauty of the expanses open before him were breathtaking, the true perspective of how small we are as people when compared to nature itself evident. We live our lives, he thought, day in and day out without thinking of this perspective. When the thought comes to us we look up but see the mountains as a beautiful place and not so much our place or the perspective now evident before him. The breeze, unrestrained by obstacles, was steady and refreshing. His spirits were lifted. His attention turned to the path he had tread.

The beginning of the trail was a mere thread of memory but not very visible from this height. There, before him, was the path he had tread and the many obstacles that he had to overcome to get to this point. He reflected on how challenging the pathway up had been and how insurmountable the path seemed at times. From this perspective however, those same challenges seemed so insignificant and in some ways meaningless. A meaningful smile came to his lips as he then laughed out loud at his new found understanding. With a joyful and light heart he found himself rested and his mind and body refreshed. He looked up on the path yet to come and the seemingly impossible obstacles visible to him. With his new found understanding he put his pack back on, and with a light step headed up the mountain again. He knew that this second half would, in many ways, be more challenging and taxing than the first half, but with his newfound knowledge he was sure he would do just fine, step by careful step.

-Shiidon, February 2008