Tuesday, April 6, 2010

the grass is always green.


When I was growing up in Kansas, there were countless times where I felt I couldn't wait to get out of my parents' house and move far away. During my last year of college, all I could think about was graduation so I could finally have my independence, start working full-time, and never have to finish another art project or sit through excruciating 3 hour lectures on textiles. And even now, there are many things in the future I'm anxious and impatient about: marriage, kids, the weekend, my hair growing out, and especially football season. Only in retrospect do I regret not thoroughly enjoying all the different seasons in my life, although they might have seemed unbearable at the time. This past weekend, while hiking at Bear Mountain, I was reminded that it's not just all about the view from the top of the mountain. Sure, it was incredibly breathtaking and felt amazing to have climbed 1.5 miles vertically to reach our final destination. But when I reflect back on the hike, what sticks out even more is everything in between the first step on the foot of the trail and the view from the peak of the mountain: the times we wanted to give up but kept pushing forward, losing our breath only to find it again on the many rest stops along the way, pausing to take pictures of our great adventures, and of course, plenty of laughter. I'm taking this as a wake-up call & lesson to enjoy today for what it is and do the same tomorrow and the day after that. All that other stuff I claim I "can't wait" for will inevitably come in the allotted time, and when it does I'll look back and have no regrets of wasting my life away in always wishing and hoping for what's next.

No comments:

Post a Comment