Okay admittedly people falling off of milk crates has been one of my favorite internet videos aside from kids before and after school videos. I don’t know what those babies be doing in those eight hours but it’s as if they were falling off crates all day!
I’ve seen two people successfully ascend and descend the milk crate tower and found one thing in common. They took their time at the top before taking the next step. (aside from that one woman who beat the challenge in heels! Meanwhile those who failed never made it to the top, tried to skip the top or stepped down too soon. I find that we all occasionally forget to take our time at the peaks in life and move on too quickly.
For a better analogy. When you are hiking your goal is to make it to a peak, waterfall, or view of some sort right? And the hike typically takes some physical and mental work. Sometimes the hike is advanced, forcing you to find sturdy rocks to climb or something to hold on to. And even on an easy hike you still have to make your way up some elevation. Imagine getting to your destination and spending 1 to 2 minutes there then turning around and going back or thinking about the next destination. The act would be insane. It’s customary for us to take in the view, swim in the waterfall, lament the moment with some pictures...SOMETHING.
So why isn’t it customary for us to do this in our personal lives? We make it out of our dark times or accomplish a goal and automatically start thinking about the next thing. We begin working on our next personal journey forgetting to enjoy the view when life is really good.
For the past 5-6 months I have been enjoying a peak that I used to dream of. I remember being in a financial struggle, alone, sad and using poetry as sturdy rocks on my climb out of my valley. A couple of months back I found myself stressed and slightly burnt out from the work I was doing trying to reach goals I kept placing before me until I looked around and realized
“wait a damn minute”
I remember dreaming of where I am now. With my relationship, my finances, homeownership, direction and pregnancy! I was feeling a level of discontent because I was forgetting to have gratitude. I was finding myself anxious because I hadn't taken the time to enjoy all of my journey.
We commend athletes for winning championships then hitting the gym the very next day to prepare for the following season. But I can say for me, that doesn’t work. The same way I take moments to analyze my dark times is how I need to analyze the bright times. If I hadn’t taken this time I wouldn’t have realized that this is the happiest I’ve felt since before my brother died or understood what security and partnership feels like on the inside.
For all of the new friends/subscribers who may not know my whole story and could possibly going through a difficult time I hope you read this post and realize that no matter what you are going through you can always reach the peaks you desire to climb to. It may take some time, sweat and hard self work but when you make it to the light I promise it will all be worth it.
I encourage you to find what works best for you. But I will leave you with this final question:
What happiness could you be missing out on because you’re not taking a moment at your peaks?
Peace and Much Love,
