Upon first reading my title, even after knowing what I actually mean by it because I’m writing this blog 😉, it still made me nod and think about the “mountains of frustrations” that have complicated my path along my lifetime so far.
Ohhh, the self-created kind AND the outside-my-control kind….and perhaps the various blends of each that can happen, too! OH!!! And what about the kinds that just seemingly POP UP, out of nowhere, when life is/was feeling really good and you are/were just mindin’ your own business!! Because those ones feel like they sneak up on you sometimes, right???!
Yeah, these things happen. We are human and we are breathing. We all have had these types of many-sized “mountains” that we have had to scale and traverse during the course of our lives. Some we could see as perhaps “cute” and petite….
….while others may seem to be mammoth-sized and reach unceasingly up into the sky!! ⛅️
AND maybe even right at this very moment, you, like myself, are navigating yet another one of those mini/ginormous mountains and figuring your way up, down, zig-zag, around, over, and through it! Because sometimes it takes multiple tries or being creative or blazing a new path or exploring a bit first before this particular mountain can be overcome. Or it can be more managed, at the very least….BEFORE all the crushing, of course, because the crushing can happen whether this “mountain” is completely overcome or not!! 😉💪🏼😀
I believe everyone encounters an ungodly amount of metaphorical mountains as we meander through our lives, learning, growing, LIVING, and choosing our next path. And we shall continue to do so because that is what life presents and requests and offers to us!! It’s an automatic and built-in unscripted agenda to being alive on this planet.
And now that I have run that tangent into the ground….😁….please excuse that!!!…..I shall now explain my initial thoughts of my blog post today and why I believe “When Mountains Find You” to be an appropriate title for today!!
Something I really love is new experiences. And being outside of my comfort zone doing something new until it switches and becomes something familiar or even begins to transform into a part of my comfort zone!! I believe that I have expressed this to you before. 🙃
Something else that I really love is this:
“….and then we fall in love with what we didn’t even know we wanted.” Absolutely, marcandangel. I couldn’t agree more!! And this is how I feel about mountains. The real kind!! ⬇️ 🏔
Up until a little over two years ago, I never, and I mean NEVER, dreamed of mountains and hiking and having adventures that included camping of any kind. It’s almost like it wasn’t even a part of my vocabulary!! Now, I always appreciated the beauty and grandeur of seeing mountains – – like driving through Colorado and being mesmerized by the Rocky Mountains in the distance – – or driving up mountains to enjoy the view, when the opportunity presented itself.
However, it was never a thought in my mind to hike up a mountain for fun, unless friends suggested it and it was a mini-day-trip kinda thing. And even then, I still loved the challenge, the exercise, and the adventure of a day trip such as this…but then it would just fade into the distance without becoming something that I craved or looked forward to doing again. If it happened again, great!!!! And if it didn’t, okay then! I was totally fine either way, truly.
AND THEN, I spent long-term time on the Appalachian Trail, as far out from my comfort zone as one could be, and this “nonchalant view” concerning mountains (and hiking trails, for that matter) completely and forever changed. And I fell in love with mountains and hiking. Again, some things that I didn’t even know that I needed and wanted in my life prior to that life-changing experience.
And after spending those two+ months, scaling and descending countless mountains from ~6,300 ft and under; seeing such breathtaking views; feeling the rush of adrenaline upon reaching each and every summit; conquering the many obstacles and hours it took to make it to the actual top (as opposed to those false summits that showed up and then kept on going!!!) AND THEN making it to the bottom again, without tumbling, tripping, or crashing down the other crazy obstacles that awaited on the hours+-long descent; and doing all of these things during a sunrise or a sunset or high noon in the blazing heat or during any weather condition that you can imagine….☀️💨🌧❄️…. it was like the mountains were telling you their stories, all while challenging you to push your limits, time and time again, as you learned what those stories entailed.
And it became like this addictive game of “you/your mind/your body vs. nature/the terrain/the altitude and you just….accepted the unpredictable terms and strived to do your best and just keep taking steps forward. Because you knew that no matter how long it took, one step forward meant one step closer to the top (or the bottom) and that you would make it there eventually.
And you would.
It’s such a different feeling, to be missing the mountains, these climbs, the freedom found on the trail, the intense terrains, and, if you can believe it, camping!! Who knew that I actually enjoyed living in the wilderness and sleeping in my little tent?!?! 🏕
SO, when I saw these views as I was driving to physical therapy last week:
It was as if the mountains came to find me!!!! Instead of the other way around. 😃 Bringing me back to the title of this blog – – see??!! It’s very fitting, isn’t it??! 🤓
And it instantly brought me joy, as I got to enjoy these “mountain clouds” for a majority of my ride to PT and reminisce about being back on the Appalachian Trail. Not only the gorgeous mountains…..
…but also with moments like this:
And this!!!
Unforgettable memories that will stay with me always. And I do hope to have many more chances to hike some epic trails (perhaps another round on the Appalachian Trail one day????!!!) and listen to and experience more stories from the mountains!
Until then, I shall wait as patiently as I possibly can be. And make my way through my knee recovery and all of the necessary training and prep to ensure that I am properly healed and functioning at my very best – – I promise you that I will wait until I am absolutely certain of my abilities before I attempt any sizable feats, especially!!! However long it takes!!!!
And I hope, in the meantime (because this is gonna take a while!!), that the universe and Mother Nature continue to bring the mountains my way. Within the clouds or in any other clever way, I will appreciate the visit, the reminder, and the signs, as well as all the memories that shall come to mind.
And I wish you all more and more unforgettable memories that continue to bring so much beauty to your life. 🌅🌄 ❤️☀️🏕🌸☘️🏔✨❤️🌞🦋🌼🍄🌳🏔❤️