The Mountains in our Lives

The crises we face in life are like mountains.  As we stand at the base of the looming mountain, it seems that conquering the mountain is an insurmountable task.  Tall and rugged, the mountain stands looking down on us, daring us to try.

But, once we’ve made the attempt.  Once we’ve moved past the mountain and down into the valley on the other side, the mountain serves as a reference point for our day to day life.  No matter where we go in that valley, we need only look at that mountain and we know where we are.  We know which direction we are headed.

Living on the plains or in the flatlands, it is much easier to get lost.  Every point on the compass is the same.  We can only guide ourselves by the subtleties of light, wind, or differences in terrain.  It is easy for us to become lost and lose our way.

Surviving a crisis can give us that ready point of reference that a mountain provides.  Despite the pain and the hard work of getting over and through the crisis, the lessons we learn about ourselves are invaluable. We understand better who we are, and have been toughened by the challenge.  We can allow the traumas of our past to fade into our memory, and no longer focus on that event.  But we can also use the lessons learned to guide us toward the future.  If we ever get lost along the path, all we need to do is to look back, remember who we are and where we are going, and then move forward again.