This morning I went to the mountains with my dog to walk. We found our usual trail and began the ascent. As my mind calmed and I really saw what was around me I found that somewhere along my trail I had again lost my vision. The sky was brilliant blue and the grasses and trees were a vibrant green. With the rain we have had recently the plants were more alive than usual for this time of year. It was then that I noticed the ground beneath my feet was not solid but made of dirt and pebbles and rocks and the things that fall from the surrounding life. I realized how much "life" there was to a mountain. It is not just a mountain but a collection or rocks and stones and pebbles and dirt and foliage. While they are something unto themselves they also make up the mountain so while the mountain is it's parts, the parts are also the mountain. I realized that somewhere along the way I had gone from a mountain, to a rock, to the smallest of pebbles in the winds of change and the talk and chatter of everyday life. As I walked I was able to gather together all the things that had eroded away from me and become once again a "whole" person, made of all my parts just like the mountain. When I looked at the plants I realized they relied on the mountain for the soil and the mountain relied on their roots to keep its place. In the scrub oaks there were hundreds of new acorns. Each one representing a new life. As these new lives take root, their roots preserve the mountain where it grows. And so I found that there are also "acorns" in me that if I allow will take root and preserve the essence of who I am. These new possiblities and ideas motivate me to move on to see new things and live each day. As I began to descend from the mountain there is a point where the sounds of the highway below can be heard. That is when I took all the thoughts and meditations from my morning walk and found my way back to life once again. It is not the actual journey that matters, it is the discovery of self on the journey that has the greatest rewards.
Om Mani Padme Hum...LS
Here's a picture I snapped from the highway, this is the big climb hubby and I are taking this weekend. Yes, I finally set the date, sometimes you just have to let go and have a little faith. Each is over 14,000ft high, the trailhead starts just under 10,000ft. The entire hike, round trip going to both summits is about 8 miles, so it's not as far as I first thought. Longstory, sorry I didn't wait, but I felt the time was "right", if you can understand that. There's enough time to plan other hikes this year too, so maybe we can do another later. Thanks for all the support and tips everybody has given me to make it this far, I couldn't have done it without you, and you will all be with me in spirit as I climb.
