Standing at the bottom of the Mountain, I looked up in amazement. The only thing I could think about was the Summit, and how badly I wanted to be there. Standing on the hard, sharp rocks made my feet ache. Oh, how I yearned for the cool, white snow. I needed it. I needed it, now.
When you think about climbing a mountain, what comes to mind? Maybe ropes, hiking boots and food and water to sustain your body during the journey. It’s easy to think of these things when the mountain isn’t right in front of you, but when it is, you have a completely different mindset. Your mind is blank, and you can only think of the end result. You just want to reach the Summit, and you completely forget what you need to get there.
But it’s not just about what you need, it’s about what you need to do. If I asked you what you needed to do to reach the summit of a mountain, your answer would be simple: you need to climb it. It’s the logical explanation. To get from point A to point B, you need some sort of path, and that is what we tend to forget.
When we are at the bottom of the Mountain, we look up and yearn for the Summit. We want the bright snow, the crisp air and the view, oh, how badly we want the view. We get so caught up in the Summit, that we forget about the Path we need to take to reach the Summit.
Thinking about the Path makes my face twist in disgust. The Path is full of mud, sticks, and animals. Heavy, treacherous mud; sharp, knife-like sticks and aggressive, terrorizing animals. It’s something we all try to avoid, but we cannot reach the Summit without taking the Path. You cannot avoid the Path. You have to venture through the Path to really, truly appreciate the beauty of the Summit.
You need to sink into the mud, get cut up by the sticks and fight off the animals in order to reach the Summit. For some, this path is short, and for others, it is long and winding, but you cannot determine the difficulty of the Path by the length of it. The shortest path may have the thickest mud, the sharpest branches, and the most terrifying animals. The longest path may be just as difficult, but with breaks of pure tranquility. More often than not, you will witness the most beautiful views during your path. Views that can even outmatch those of the Summit.
As you stand at the bottom of the Mountain, think of this. Know that the pain of the Path will be cured by the Summit, and know that you cannot appreciate the beauty of the Summit without the pain of the Path. When you get to the Summit, you’ll thank me as you bask in its beauty.
Think of this as you step on the hard, sharp rocks of every Mountain you encounter, because there will be more, and you will reach the Summit every single time. I promise.
