Donna Miesbach Gleanings on the Web

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP

I never thought I'd celebrate my seventy-third birthday by climbing a mountain, but that's exactly what I did! Perhaps "mountain" isn't quite the right word. Actually, it was an extinct volcano with a seventy-degree slope and extremely rugged terrain. It was a strenuous endeavor. At times the trail was so steep and treacherous, we had to use ropes to assist us!

I was visiting my granddaughter, Valarie, where she is stationed as an Army nurse in Hawaii. Valarie loves to climb the volcano on the island where she lives, and more than anything else, she wanted me to climb it with her while I was there. She wanted to share the view from the top with me.

Climbing a mountain was not exactly how I'd expected to celebrate my seventy-third birthday, but it meant so much to her, how could I say "no"?

I've never gone rock climbing before, and certainly not mountain climbing - there are no mountains in Nebraska! - so there was a lot to learn. To begin with, you take very small steps. You look for a firm footing, something that won't move under you, making sure your foot is secure before you proceed. Then you check to see where you can safely take your next step.

If you're fortunate enough to have a guide, as I did, you try to put your foot exactly where your guide did, always being certain that you won't slip before you move. Our climb was an intense study in being in the present moment. No time or energy to look behind, or even think beyond the next move, and I totally ignored the sheer drop-offs that accompanied us most of the way. I just took it a step at a time, no more, no less.

Life is a lot like that, isn't it? We have to work through things a step at a time, leaning on the wisdom of those who've gone before us along the way. Small steps are often the best approach. Small steps make it easier to stay on the path. And of course, it's always best to keep our attention in the present moment. Life is so much lighter when we don't drag the past along with us.

I say that, but do we really? Most of the time it seems we're either dwelling on something that has already happened - like the stones that just slipped away from under my foot - or worrying about something that might happen in the future - like falling off the cliffs we were climbing! Seldom is our attention right here, right now, yet on that day, that's exactly where we had to be - right there - in that very moment. One step at a time.

How else can we experience the fresh newness of each day if our attention is somewhere else? Just being where we are is more than enough. Just focusing on the task at hand. True, sometimes our difficulties are just a bump in the road, but often they are not. Large or small, if you want to get past them, you have to face them. You have to work through them so you can get to the other side. You have to push on, easy or not, because that's the only way you can reap the reward that always comes when you master something, no matter what it is. If you can just meet life where you are, if you can work through life's vicissitudes a step at a time, eventually you'll not only be able to enjoy the view from the top, you'll also know it was worth all the effort it took to get there.

We don't often think about all the factors that go into creating a mountain top experience. When high moments come along, we may think they just happened out of the blue; however, if we really thought about it, we would know that all the joys and sorrows of life and living go into the making of each new moment. Everything, absolutely everything, builds upon the past, and yet in this moment, in this present moment, every experience is eternally fresh and new.

We never really know what each moment will bring. That was certainly true for me as the view from the top unfolded before me. What I saw as I sat up there on top of that volcano was not at all what I expected. Oh yes, it seemed like we could see forever, and the view was certainly beautiful, but what I really saw was how each day has been the culmination of all the growth I've made thus far. The mountains of doubt and fear I've had to climb stood out vividly in my mind. I saw, too, the tremendous struggle it took to survive the stormy seas I've sailed, with their surging tides of grief and pain, and I wondered, where did the strength to meet all that come from? As I thought about it, I realized it must have been within me all along. That thought touched me to the point of tears, because I know that if I can find my wholeness in the midst of all that brokenness, then you can, too. What is even more amazing, at least it is to me, is that it wasn't until I'd worked through all of that - yes, every last bit of it - that I found the joy that now is so much a part of my life.

Oh yes, I'll admit there were times when I thought I couldn't do it, whether it was the volcano my granddaughter and I climbed, or the troubles I've had to face. Somehow I did get to the top. Somehow I was able to surmount the challenges, but I know I didn't do it alone. I don't think any of us ever do. Life is never a singular journey.

While few of us will have the chance to climb to the top of a volcano, all of us have challenges to face at some time or other. I guess that's why standing on top of that particular mountain said so much to me, because I know now that it really is possible to move beyond our doubts and fears and sorrows. It really is possible to live a happy, peace-filled life. All you have to do to get there is take it a step at a time.