Climbing The Mountain
“One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But the person you become in learning to get over it? That will stay with you forever. And that is the point of the mountain.”
Image Credit @laur_a
Do you remember the hard times – the ones you lived through and wondered how you ever got through them?
Maybe the hard time was financial scarcity – to the point of deciding whether to buy toothpaste or toilet paper with your paycheck because you couldn’t afford both. Maybe it was the breakup of a relationship – being so scared of the future and making it on your own, yet fearful of remaining in a relationship that would surely take your soul.
Maybe it was being a caregiver to a loved one – committed to doing everything you could to be caring and supportive but not knowing how on earth you would get up one more time in the middle of the night because you were so exhausted. Maybe it was losing a loved one – feeling that indescribable ache in your chest and emptiness in your stomach that created a void so vast that nothing could relieve the heart-felt pain.
For most of us, hard times have come and gone and could come again. Each difficult time has its own unique challenges, but in every situation the question always is, “How will I get through this?”
I’ve counseled many patients going through treatment for cancer and have heard comments like, “I don’t know how I’m going to get through six weeks of radiation therapy. It’s overwhelming.” Or, “I’m really scared.” Or, “Chemotherapy every three weeks…for how many months? I don’t know how I will do that.”
In the midst of a hard time, you may not remember all the other hard times that happened. But they did, and you lived through them. It’s important to identify what helped you through past difficulties. Over the years, patients have told me some of the coping strategies that worked for them: journaling, humor (such as watching funny movies), hiking or nature therapy, music, reading, prayer, seeing a counselor or talking with a friend, cooking, painting, or meditative coloring.
When climbing the mountain, it may be all you can do to put one foot in front of the other just to stay on the path and not fall off the precipice. It’s only when you are on the other side of the mountain, looking back, is it possible to see how the mountain changed you – to learn who you have become after confronting and crossing the mountain.
There are many mountains to cross, and they all are unique – each with their own challenges. What stayed with you after each mountain journey? What did you learn? While the mountain behind you may be nearly invisible in the distance, the mountain ahead may seem impassable and impossible.
Here’s what St. Francis of Assisi had to say about the impossible: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
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