Mountains and Moun'ns

The weekend before this past I had the opportunity to travel down to Zion National Park for some fun in the sun.  Our multiple hour drive was filled with singing, homework, singing, me falling asleep and probably drooling, and I think there was some more singing.  At last we reached Zion, and when we started up the Angel's Landing trail, I wondered at what I had gotten myself into.

For those who do not know, Angel's Landing is a rock structure reaching 1500 feet above the canyon floor.  The path to the top is steep and narrow, at one point becoming only two feet across.  Even with a paved path in the beginning, the angle led my calves to dream of the flatland Florida I call home, and my lungs complained about the "mountain air".  However, once we made it past the switchbacks I felt exhilarated.  My senses explored the world around me, instead of the pain inside me.  How fantastic it was to be so high up with no walls to block my view and no ceilings to contain my sense of accomplishment as my bare feet hopped from rock to stone, as sure as if they were at sea level back at home.  I stopped worrying about how hard it was, and rejoiced in the accomplishing steps I kept taking.

At this time, I also took notice of the differences between care, caution, and paranoia.  I took care along the whole hike, being aware of my surroundings and spatial orientation; I was especially cautious around the more treacherous parts, placing my footfalls with exactness as the path increased in height and steepness; but I never took to being paranoid for my life or others'.

Paranoia prevents adventure.  Whether it be a fear of heights, germs, or even death itself, fear drops a wall down between us and the experiences life and the world have to offer us.  Most of my life I've been fearful of what others think of me, at one point taking that fear so far that I lowered the quality of my life to try to fit into what society believed to be aesthetically "normal".  One of the darker journeys of my life was getting through and letting go of that fear.  It was hard and rocky and sometimes I backtracked to the beginning because it was so stinkin' hard.  But just as the trail up to Angel's Landing was rough and strenuous, the view was worth it, and the different life I lead now is worth every burdensome day that demanded my constant hike upwards.  Trying to live my life as just being me is one of the coolest and most exciting things I've ever done, even cooler than Angel's Landing.  Some days are easier than others, but I am grateful for the contrasts because you can't have mountains without valleys, and mountains don't seem so daunting anymore. 

We all know how much I'm learning to love that mountain air.