What Happens After You've Made It To the Top?
Jess-Keyhole-Climb-Tilt
Longs Peak
There are times we all feel like we are climbing some sort of mountain…a mountain of bills, the uphill climb towards sanity, reaching the heights of success, carrying a relationship.There’s a lot of climbing, exertion, and promise of reward on the long ascending path to our goals. But, how often do we consider the way down? And is it even worth considering - we’ve already reached our objective, right?A few weeks ago, I set off to climb Long’s Peak in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It’s been a few years since I’ve climbed a literal mountain, but it brought me right back to this process of achieving a goal. I’ve always like the climb up. I love it, in fact. But, after years of literal (and metaphorical) mountaineering, I’m very aware there’s a second half to the journey.I hate the descent. The footing is unsure, I’m tired from the uphill climb, gravity has its own laws that I’m convinced I can defy. It’s about this time in the process that my knees start crunching, and I’m convinced that I’ve done irreparable harm to my body.At some point, on the way down, a part of my brain says, “I’m done. I’ve reached my goal, I want to be home.” My psyche cracks. I usually start crying, irrationally confident that I can’t go any further and will die on the side of a mountain.Luckily, I’ve seen this unfold a hundred times over, on the trail, and in my life.I have found the most immediate solution to my crumpled sobbing mess is...a Snickers bar. I know. It’s not the obvious, spiritually-mature choice. And maybe it’s the sugar or a shiny distraction that snaps me out of the mental cloudburst of despair. All I know, is that it works. After having this repeat performance on almost every long hike or backpacking trip (or major life transition) the simple act of stopping to eat this deliciousness brings me into the present moment on another goal-driven process to get home.I sit. I look at my surroundings. I breathe. I savor those 6-8 bites of heaven. A magical, mental re-grouping happens. I’m brought right back into the process of the entire journey: the energy at the beginning of the trail, beautiful surroundings and crisp air, breathtaking views, breaks for rest and talking, getting back to the car, a much appreciated beverage and warm meal on the way home.I’m not focused on the end goal of getting to the top nor getting home. Because, no matter how much I fight it, I have to go through the process of hiking down.Often, we find a sense of worth in accomplishing a specific goal unaware that after the long climb towards its attainment, there’s an equally challenging and beautiful descent. It’s on this descent that we often want to bail. “Yay, we had a beautiful wedding…What?! We have to work on this marriage?” “I just got promoted to CEO! A dream come true…except, crap, I will never dream again, because I don’t have time to sleep.”There’s always some great apex that we think will signify a sense of being done. But, in reality, are we ever done?The physical act of climbing a mountain makes this mental concept very concrete for me.When there are challenges in my life, I have the tendency to want to bail: on a new relationship, a new project at work, hell, a new style of yoga pants.However, when you’re on the way down a mountain you can’t bow out, especially if you like modern plumbing and your loved ones.You have to keep going.Maybe you choose a different route. Maybe you stop and enjoy a period of rest. This becomes the goal: learning to enjoy and accept the process…the ups and, especially, the downs. It’s in the second half of the journey, that you expand, you learn what you are capable of, you see yourself in the entire journey...because that’s what it’s all about. Besides, there’s always going to be another mountain in the distance.I’d love to hear how you handled one of your “descents” after reaching a particular goal...I’m sure there’s got to be an alternative to Snickers bars.Comment below and share how you weathered the journey...