The mountain

This weekend was a moment on the mountain. This past semester has been a high-energy, sprint to the finish. When it was all over, my daily life switched to a different kind of race: a race to catch up.

From the moment I graduated in early May, each week, weekend, night, and day have been full of family events, friend events, home repairs, conferences, and many, many more things. One of these was the trip to Kohler, Wisconsin for a girls spa weekend getaway–a graduation present from my sister and a few of our friends.

It was a fabulous trip, a little oasis before the final gauntlet of calendar obligations. The spa was a haven: personal, quiet, thoughtful (they left iced champagne waiting because they knew we were celebrating an event). I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend or a more generous set of friends.

Because of this trip, I was able to unwind and really breathe. I was beginning to feel that I was stretched too thin for things that I didn’t choose. It’s easy to relax in a 5 star resort spa. The whole experience is designed to make you relax and think about as little as possible. However, for me that meant sifting through some mental clutter and doing some housecleaning. But by then end I mentally ended up here, at the top of the mountain. That location where you can see clearly for miles, everything is clear, and there are no problems or issues.

Every time we see someone at the top of the mountain, it is easy to envy them of their position. We want to be there too. And when we are on top of the mountain, we are not thinking of anyone or anything else, just of staying at the top of the mountain forever. But there comes a time when everyone must leave the mountain. We must abandon the sweetness and try to figure out what we can bring back with us to the abrasiveness of life below.

What I learned from this particular weekend is that I don’t have to be ready to come down from the mountain. I just have to be willing. I have to accept that only a portion of my experiences will linger in daily life. This weekend also allowed me to realize that I can return whenever I want. All I have to do is climb the mountain again. I don’t have to have a fancy spa weekend to get there, that’s just a slightly shorter route. The important part is to do the work of the climb. If I do that, I can return anytime I want. I can always return.