Celebrating the Journey
During the holidays, I had an opportunity to go down to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. For me, there is no place I would rather be to rejuvenate and renew myself than in the mountains. I love being in the mountains!
Visiting the mountains is always a very humbling experience for me for a couple of reasons. First is that I am always in awe of the raw majestic power that the mountains have. The sheer beauty of the clear blue sky in contrast with the peaks and valleys of the mountains. Absolutely beautiful!
The second reason visiting the mountains is a humbling experience for me is–I always ‘think’ I am in much better shape than I really truly am. I walk here in Indiana weekly on a fairly consistent basis, so why can’t I tackle any given trail in the mountains? I mean how hard can hiking an eight mile trail be, right? Four miles to the summit and four miles back down. Piece of cake!!!! What I fail to take into consideration is the walking that I do here in Indiana is fairly level, paved and at about 700 ft. above sea level. In the Smokeys, the trail is usually rugged, not paved and the beginning elevation is around 2,500 ft. above sea level and the trail gains anywhere from 1,000 ft. to 2,000 ft. in elevation. I ‘think’ I am prepared but I usually am not.
So, I am about two miles into this hike when I realize that it really is going to be more difficult than walking around my paved neighborhood. (Ok, I said two miles because the first mile of the trail was actually paved. I really am a wimp.) At this point, I turn rather stubborn and tell myself that I AM going to hike to the $#%^&* summit, no matter what. So, yes, I push and push myself until I finally reach the summit! Yippee, I made it to the top—WOW! Unbelievable! I did it!
But as I allowed myself to relax a little bit, I realized that because I was so focused on my destination (the summit) that I hadn’t even noticed nor taken the time to see all the beauty that was all around me on the way. I had failed to notice anything along the way other than the trail. I had forgotten the purpose of me being there, which was to enjoy nature in all of its beauty. To hear the rustling of the wind in the trees, to watch for any animals, large or small, and to enjoy the sun peeking through the trees, just to name a few. I had not taken one moment on the way up to the summit to truly enjoy the glorious mountains and all that they had to offer. So needless to say, as I hiked back down the trail, I finally took notice and paid attention to all that was around me. Of course, the hike back down was a far more pleasant experience for me.
As I reflected on this, I got to thinking about where in my life have I gotten so focused on the destination or my goal (the summit), that I haven’t paid any attention to my journey (beauty, nature).
As you may recall, back in January, 2008, in my newsletter, I talked about New Year’s Resolutions and used my wish to lose 25 lbs. as an example. I have had a few people ask me how well I have done with that goal, so I will tell you.
I will admit that I did NOT lose those 25 lbs. and I could spend a lot of time focused on the fact that I didn’t accomplish my goal (the summit), but instead I am going to look around at everything (beauty, nature) that I may have missed if I wasn’t paying attention.
So here are some of the things I did accomplish–
- I did lose about 10 lbs.
- I am walking/exercising 3-4 times/week, 3-5 miles/each. (Note to self, need to do more uphill walking, etc., to have endurance for mountains).
- I am doing yoga/stretching on a more regular basis.
- I am receiving massage/bodywork consistently.
- I no longer drink regular Dr. Pepper (if you know me well, then you will know just how hard this was for me to do).
- I am taking better care of my body–physically, emotionally and mentally.
- I am trying to be kinder to myself.
When I take my focus off the fact that I didn’t accomplish my goal, then I can allow myself to look at the things I DID do. I didn’t lose the 25 lbs. but I did take quite a few steps towards my overall health.
My challenge to you: Take some time right now and make a list of some of the things you did accomplish whether in 2008, last night or right now. Don’t think about the things you didn’t get to or didn’t get done; focus on what you did, no matter how large or small.
Celebrate the small things that you have done. They are just as important as the big things.
CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY! I KNOW I AM!