Climbing

In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, there is a story that the Old King tells Santiago of a wise man who tries to explain the meaning of happiness to a boy who comes to visit his home. He entrusts the boy with two drops of oil on a spoon and asks him to wander around his property without dropping the oil. The boy does so, and when he comes back to the wise man he is proud of himself for not spilling the oil. The wise man asks him if he saw the giant Persian tapestries, the beautiful gardens or the ancient library. The boy confesses that he didn’t really see very much because he was concentrating so much on not spilling the oil. The wise man invites the boy to take another tour of the grounds and marvel at the exquisiteness of all that was around him. The boy walks through the estate again, and sees all the wonderful things that the wise man had spoken to him about. He was excited and happy and recounts in detail all the things he had seen. The wise man asked him what had happened to the drops of oil. The boy looked down at the empty spoon and admits that he was had forgotten to check on the drops of oil and they must have fallen while he was exploring. At which, the wise man says, “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”   

Walking up a mountain is not an easy task, physically or mentally. Whether you are an experienced trekker or just someone who wants to see something amazing, everyone wants to catch a view from the top that takes your breath away. While you’re walking to get to the illusive summit however, you will find that a lot of the time, you have to look where you’re stepping. You have to scan the path at your feet for loose rocks or unstable ground. As you climb, you look down and you remain focussed most of the time on your feet and you find yourself thinking, just keep going, don’t lose your footing, one step after the other. When you have a water break, you might find that it is the first time you’ve looked up in about an hour.

Oh, this is what’s around me now. Where are we? Only 4 to 5 hours to go. You’ll take a swig of water, and back to looking down. This was how I found myself after the first couple of hours of walking. 

I found myself making plans, planning my future, planning dinner and my shower before bed, planning to further my education and even planning business ideas that I’d like to be part of. I also found myself reminiscing about the past; about lose ends left lose, conversations I needed to have, split decision choices and the comfort of home. I thought about about things I could have done better, and things I would like to do well. My brain would to-and-fro from outward thoughts and back to pushing my legs and back forward on the trek. Walking from step to step, it was always a conscious thought to bringing me back to the present.

Then finally at a rest stop while taking time to examine where we had come; I submitted to the valleys and the mountains, to the river running far below, to the friendly locals we passed hanging by the sides of their houses and tea stalls or the ones we passed carrying enormous 30kg loads on their heads, and to the trees and the birds.

Look at where I am! Look at where the Universe has brought me!

The world I was walking through was made up of small mountains skirting around an endless valley of large hills, with a great river running through. The river seemed to be in another atmosphere below. The hills appeared to swell and retreat as my eyes tried to define the distance between us. Dotted through the hills were clustered houses making up tiny villages, and small fires could be seen burning smoke trails through the mist. There were more shades of green the eye could discern. And… protruding from the small mountain tops, kilometers into the sky were the great peaks of immense mountain ranges, gazing down from above, silent and regal. 

The clutter in your head evaporates when you allow yourself to become fully encased in the peacefulness that embraces you. It feels like you’re above the din of the city and the far away from everywhere. The air is good and your lungs drink in the freshness. No matter what the view, or where you end for the day, you will look out and feel good about arriving. Your mind might wander as far and wide as you can see. So look up often and absorb what's under your feet thoroughly.

Everything in it’s stride, it’s only when you’re fully present, do you give experiences the opportunity to take a hold of you, affect you and ultimately, to change you.