Mountain Dreams

I keep thinking it would be good to share with you some parallels between actual mountain climbing and climbing your way to your dreams. See, this week, a little mountain taught me some lessons. It wasn’t really little, even though it has that word in its name. Before I share the lessons let me be honest that I was hesitating all week about going but I went because I need to get out more and the fresh air is always good. It has been raining every day up on the mountains but that day would only be cloudy and the rains would continue the following day.

Lesson one would be to plan ahead. While I was deciding to go or not to go, I still got ready. I had an idea of what to wear, where we were going and the things for my first aid kit. My other debate was on which shoes to wear as I don’t have proper hiking boots and I’m still nursing a slight toe injury. On the morning, I communicated with the friend who suggested the hike and got to the meeting place on time for our drive. Even when we arrived at the car park I knew I was not feeling this hike but I put doubts and fears aside because this mountain needed to be climbed.

In life, sometimes we don’t know what our dreams should be or which one to work on. We know to dream but not necessarily how to plan the steps for achieving the dream. Sometimes the dream seems so big or there are fears and doubts that try to make us give up the dream before it has a chance to see some daylight or get some fresh air and life breathe in to it. At times it may be that others around you may not see the dream or have never risen that far so there is no one to guide you. Just be careful who you share your dream with, at what stage you share it, and how to nurture it so it doesn’t die when it should have lived.

So friends, there I was walking among all this greenery, hearing the sounds of birds high above me and water gently flowing nearby. I took literally ten steps and I was already breathless. No joke. My heart was racing. I was tired. After resting a few minutes I continued along. The organizer of the trip was way more fit and just stepping along up the incline, over fallen trees, jumping across small streams, and bubbling with effervescence. Not wanting to tamper her joy I asked her kindly to go on ahead. The other hiker refused to leave me behind citing a rule of her Girls Guide club from her childhood days which forbade her to leave the slowest person behind.

And herein lies lesson two: face the truth and own it. Was I hurt when she told me the rule? I felt it coming on but I chose to admit I was the slowest but instead focus on the fact that she was not leaving me. Any hurt I felt I decided to turn it into energy and see if I could move any faster or stop less times so she could also enjoy the hike. This lesson fits with our dreams as well because sometimes in the way to enjoying the dream there will be persons and situations that slow us down. The dream may need to go on hold a little for us to face, admit and deal with certain things before we can successfully move forward. Remember, it’s not very practical to be going uphill and at the same time be pulling a whole load of hurt, resentment and baggage along. Let it go.

Friends, I got the the mountain top at least three times but then noticed it was only the top of a part of the mountain not the actual top. At one point the place was so narrow they tied ropes on either side to help you along. I sore it was the top and even made a video for my friends back home about having gotten to the top. After this top there was a bit of a slope going down but behind those shrubs, and through the mist on the other side, the climb started again. The lesson here is, try not to be distracted with what looks like the fulfillment of the dream. Also, celebrate the milestones along the way so when you’re tired the flat places don’t mislead you to thinking you’ve reached the top.

The rest of the story is that we turned back about half hour from the top. My feet were dying on the way down so much so I thought I’d probably lose my nails. I figured if I put my gloves in my shoes then my feet would have less place to be dancing in the shoes and could have more protection. I tried positive thoughts, gratitude, enjoying the scenery, and thinking how fast we were descending. When I finally saw the car park, I cannot tell you how happy I was. Maybe hiking isn’t one of my hobbies anymore but it sure taught me a few lessons. Unlike me with my mountain climbing, if you’re working on a dream, don’t quit or stifle your dream. Work on it, you’ll be happy you did.