Don’t Quit When You Are Near the Top

Every day, every experience is an opportunity to learn something of value. And today was a day I decided to park my camper at a familiar place near Roosevelt Lake / Columbia River and go for a hike. I say familiar because I lived in this area for a year and this was always a favorite place to come. There is a nice hike through the forest, where this time, the Ravens were very active, flying through the forest, and making their haunting calls. The forest felt alive with deer every where. I also saw two bald headed eagles.

I reached a point where there was a very steep hill leading up to an old graveyard. There was something very mystical about this place and I always climbed the hill. But this time the weather was pretty hot, mid afternoon and the hill seemed particularly steep. I climbed and climbed and when I reached the first landing, my memory failed to alert me that an even steeper hill was ahead. So as I looked up, I started the climb. A few steps into the climb I asked myself if I really wanted to do this, this time, and I heard a voice saying “don’t quit when you are so near the top.”

Oh, of course, I thought. Another lesson. So I continued to climb and as I emerged at the top, there was the graveyard sign. I found it ironic that I finally made it to the top, after a hard climb and at the top was death. I told the story to a friend, who was struggling with some things and she said “oh death and rebirth.” So perhaps after a long, hard journey, we often must die to the old in order to make room for the new to come in.

The steep climb, represents the journey and its trials and challenges. We need to be sure not to quit right before we reach the top. Just when it feels we can’t go any further, we need to take a deep breath and keep going. In the end, when we reach the top, we are victorious. And perhaps it is the victory that brings about the rebirth.

In my flying solo journey, I have had to face a lot of challenges and trials. It causes me to be very self reliant and know that I can face just about anything and get through it. It may not be easy. There may be times I don’t think I can go the next mile, but in many cases, I don’t have the option to turn around and go back. I have to keep going forward. There are times I don’t know how I am going to solve a problem, but then the solution presents itself. I learn to trust that a solution will always present itself and not give up. Giving up is simply not an option. And so, I take that deep breath, and I keep climbing. Pretty soon, I have reached the top and looking down at the view; looking back at where I have been and celebrate that I have overcome, yet another challenge. There is strength and resiliency there. There is a knowing that whatever presents itself on my journey, I have the courage, the strength and the resiliency to get through it.