Yesterday I ran up a hill. A big one.
When I started, I did not know what I was getting myself into. Luckily I had a friend with me, because on the path I needed help along the way. As I made my way through the trial of the day, I could not help but notice how much the journey reflected my own life and the realization of how keeping daily commitments has changed me.
I climbed 4400 feet, and my conditioning proved strong. I felt good and for the most part did well. However as the day wore on it got rough. The heavy rains created erosion on the trail, uneven paths, loose rocks. There was over growth in many areas, fallen trees and many obstacles along the way.
As trails or life goes there were many high points to get to, followed by low valleys. We eventually climbed to the highest point and then made our way back down into a ravine created by a stream. This repeated many many times and coming back was rough. The trail seemed to go on forever and by the time we got to about 15 miles, we realized we had another 5 to go.
As we progressed, literally to the point of stumbling and tripping over our own feet, I kept looking down the mountain. I saw that we were slowly following a small stream that was meandering it’s way through a canyon below.
The trail we were on was winding around, over, under and through a variety of obstacles. Tributaries, foothills, large rocks, and tree groves. We climbed and went down again. Repeating several times until eventually we crossed that happy little stream and finished our journey. Out of water and out of food, both of us with weak legs, weak stomachs and weak minds. At the end we were relieved, but satisfied. We endured a prolonged obstacle course, and fought hard.
There was intense beauty on the way. Majestic views of multiple valleys, beautiful blooming flowers everywhere. The environment we were in was bursting and thriving with life. We had moments of running through shady glens, crossing streams, and navigating through dense forest. A few times we found ourselves running through natural tunnels created by dense growth of shrub oak. Through the struggle, we still found beauty in almost every turn. At one point we ran into a dense growth of brilliant blue flowers with a million bees busy at work. Breathtaking to say the least.
The point of all this is back to the stream. With all the ups and downs we encountered, we started at the stream level and ended at the stream level. Despite the high hills and low valleys, the stream ran smooth. As we go through the travails of life, we can recognize that like the stream, it is the consistency of what we do each day that levels things out and produces our results. I worked for about 5 hours, the stream works day and night for all time. It is the work of the consistent, that makes for smooth paths, gradual gradients and the carving and shaping of a majestic life.
So, I think we all should strive to climb a hill now and then. However, the most important is to act the stream. Consistency everyday, improvements over time, harnessing the power of the increment is where we will build and harness true power.
Guy Reams (503)
365 Alumni
50 Days Left to 1st Marathon
