The Climb

And no, I am not planning on reciting any Miley Cyrus lyrics any time soon. This one's different.

So I was reminded today that I am not a man of endurance. That could be because I'm not a man, but there's a bit more to it than that. I went hiking up Bell Canyon with my friends Kadi and Jeff today, stupidly thinking that since I'm not particularly disinclined to move, I would do just fine. I was wrong.

After the first twenty yards or so, I knew I wouldn't do nearly as well as I thought. Hiking isn't too awful for me most of the time, but since I've spent a lot of my summer inside the cool house on the couch or on my bed, I haven't had much exercise. I did alright, though, considering, at least until we continued on past the reservoir (which was absolutely gorgeous and full to the brim of the bluest water imaginable up in the mountains). Once we hit the rocky sections that required me to step up a foot or two with nearly each step, I remembered that I'm not much for stamina.

I do great if I can take frequent breaks, which I did whenever I could. Kadi is one of those that just keeps going and going because she'll get too tired if she sits down and takes a breather, but I am definitely not built that way. Once I sit down for a minute and let my heart slow down a pace or two, I'm good to go until the next break. I'm not sure why that's the way that works for me, but I work with it because it works with me.

It's the same thing with my life, too. There are some people who look ahead and see their whole lives in front of them, and they just keep pushing through because if they stop and take a break, they probably won't make it to their goal. I, on the other hand, can only take one thing at a time. Sometimes I can't even think about what's happening on Tuesday when something's happening Saturday. Sure, I still keep in the back of my mind thoughts about where I'm supposed to be going, but my main focus is always on what's just ahead.

I think that might be why things don't get to me, even when they probably should. I live life in segments, segments that only affect each other if I want them to. For me, life is easy that way, and I do what I can with it.

So even if my life is going uphill, all I have to do is get through it, and then I can fully enjoy the freedom of coasting down.



And here's a random thought from the day:
We were walking along the trail, and Jeff didn't recognize anything, so he thought maybe we were heading the wrong way. "Turn around," I told him, "and you'll remember." How's that for profound? That's all we need to do with our pasts; turn around and remember, because otherwise we may turn the wrong way. Ha.