Recently, I went on a hike. Mind you, I don’t exercise a lot but this location looked like it was going to be great.
That morning, I woke up late and drove two hours while the other folks slept in the car. On three hours of sleep, half a bagel, and late arrival, I was going to hike 8mi…in my shape… in 5hrs. I couldn’t change my mind. I wanted to get to the highest point and see the waterfall. There was no point in taking the easy way out or doing a shorter hike after giving my word on that one. I don’t travel often so driving to NY state for a small adventure was going to be the highlight of a very dull, routine week.
And eventually, I reached the top with two friends. It was a breathtaking view. As someone who has lived in Jersey for too long, I can attest how small the the sky looks from there. In Jersey, it is always clouded with either houses, buildings, lights, or trees. The sky never looked bigger from this skyline rock. It went on for miles-shades of blue branching out over us. From up there, nothing mattered.
Life’s a bit like that- a really long hike.
The Good
In short, it’s fulfilling. There’s nothing quite like seeing the sky get closer and closer. The anticipation, the journey, the exploration, is just the crescendo. It’s this process that fills each step with optimism. Because hiking toward the peak, itching to hear the sound of the waterfall, was the only thing that created a vision in my brain to not worry about trekking through webs, brushes, and uneven rocks. There was nothing apprehensive about climbing up, everything was damn near perfect, but even if it wasn’t, the view would be.
In life, that focus eliminates the faults made. Paying attention to reaching that thrilling feeling of “making it” is all that matters. The wounds and scars don’t mean a thing. Faults have become resources for learning…for striving to go harder. That achievement will be a breath of fresh air that will articulated by a pure feeling of relief and clarity.
The Bad
After staying on that peak, I eventually realized I would have to climb down. The serenity was beginning to wane. If I stayed on the peak for too long, then I wouldn’t be able to remember the excitement I first felt. If I stayed, eventually, sitting on the edge of that cliff in awe of the landscape would be overcome by the tiredness of the hike down. I wanted to remember that the expedition lead me to elation. However, the thought of a steep and rocky climb down was overwhelming. I was already tired. I slipped a lot, tripped, and scrapped my arms and legs. But there was no turning around. I couldn’t just sit there. I moved along because focusing on getting back to the car was better than trudging back in the dark with a meek flashlight.
These “lows” of life, aren’t necessarily the low points. Rather, moments that make us appreciate ourselves for what we have achieved. This is a mandatory part of life and it should be one that’s humbling. The journey is not perfect, never will it be. It’s understood that time goes on and so must we. Life is almost always going to have rocks in the path…so mope, but move forward.
The Ugly
My fellow hiker busted his knee on the corner of a rock. With my low endurance and now his badly bruised knee…the walk back would be much slower. The the longer the hike would take, the crankier we would get. Trail mix was only so satisfying and we just wanted to sit for a while. The more energy we lost, the more we dragged our feet over rocks. We climbed over boulders and cramped our muscles. Our lack of attention to the moment and our actions was overcome by the focusing on how terribly lengthy the climb down felt. In a hike like this, there’s no such thing as turning back. We stretch and we move on. Because of our carelessness we made wrong turns . Rather than complaining, we solved which way to proceed. We were the only support for each other out there and it was nearing dusk. Surprisingly, when I reached the car I was disappointed the hike was over because I would now have to return to my mundane life. By the end of the hike, the initial anticipation of reaching the peak became permeated by feelings of sadness and disappointment. I had just reached the plateau.
The worst is not falling. It’s staying down and continuing within the fallen state. Life’s painful moments don’t magically stop time. Nothing and no one slows down. It’s foolish not to take a break but the if the break becomes permanent, then that is the ugliest of all. Eventually life would become static. The will to change would become nonexistent. Inadequacy will become the primary description for life.
I didn’t know that I could do that hike. It shed a lot of light on to my life and how I’ve lived it thus far. No matter how difficult, frustrating, or tiring getting started might be, would it be worth not trying? Life’s not going to tie my laces for me. Life’s not going to display my potential in the mirror every morning. Life won’t tell me if I’m going to make it. The answer lies within.