Life is a Hike

The thing I love about hiking mountains is that there is a clear goal, get to the top! Half way up you begin to wonder, "why am I doing this again," then you remember that there is a clear goal, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich you get to eat when you get to the top. That sandwich always motivates me! Of course I can't wait to take in the view, but when you have been hiking for hours and your legs are so tired they feel like spaghetti and it feels like you'll never get there, that sandwich seems more important than the view. When I arrive at the top, rest and eat, I sit in wonder staring out at the gorgeous view and congratulate myself for making it to the top. It is an amazing feeling. Hiking is a metaphor for life. You are on your journey..... sometimes you take in the view, sometimes you're so tired that you feel like giving up and other days, you just want to get to the top. With each hike as with each step on our journey in life, we get to the goal and assess, rest, take in the view and set our next goal. The journey of life is a series of hikes. Oh sure, some people just opt out and stay at the bottom of the mountain making excuses as to why they can't hike. I've met many of those non-hikers. They gave up on themselves and life and sleepwalk through life. They claim that they could hike the highest peaks, so to speak, but never take a step onto the trail. There are also those who start hiking and give up along the way. Lacking in enough self worth to climb to the top, they stop somewhere along the trail and turn back. They complain too, stating endless excuses as to why they have to stop but claim they "could have" made it to the top if they wanted to, but why bother. They are the poor me hikers. They at least engage in their life, but they keep giving up on themselves instead of following through to their goal. The non-hikers and poor me hikers are dictated by fear. That is all it is, fear, plain and simple. They live with the many excuses that fear creates, "It's raining, I'll do it tomorrow (tomorrow never comes), I can't do it, it's their fault, I would if...it's too hard, what if I get hurt, I'm too good to hike, I could hike Mount Everest," etc, etc. Okay, the hikers, the one's that make it to the top are afraid too. They may even have some self-worth issues (who doesn't), but they never let their fears stop them. Our journey and our series of hikes is about engaging in our journey. Nobody can make the climb for us and everyone has fear. Don't ever let fear stop you from taking that first step onto the trail and continuing to take steps until you get to the top. As for love, love yourself enough to believe that your journey is worth it. No matter what issues you are battling, scars from the past you carry or perceived hardships, start with a glimmer of love and take the first step onto the trail and don't look back until you've reached the top.