A Mountain To Climb

I have chosen to design and then climb my metaphorical mountain. It is something I do frequently, a way of addressing something I am setting out to do. Not as dramatic as setting of to basecamp on Everest or planning to travel to Kilimanjaro or the Himalayas, I won’t be hanging off the side of a rock face with a bag of chalk…

My mountain is a journey of my mind, I am climbing a 144 day mountain, my starting point is not where I want to be. I considered carefully just where I did want to be and set that as my destination before setting my course to reach that summit. Having planned the journey I considered many things, my focus is only on my destination, but I am able to experience each step towards that point. I have chosen a number that means something to me, a Fibonacci sequence character, so I think of rhythm, sequence, pattern, nature and union. As my journey is metaphorical my steps are largely in my mind, my practice, my consideration, so each step is distinct, some more difficult than others; the mind is a power opponent when your concentration, will or resolve waiver. Even when you embark on a journey willingly, intentionally and with the knowledge it will take you where you want to go, the mind can be stubborn, argumentative and challenging. Thus is mine.

So you have to be prepared for that, the chalk bag, the grip you need when your mind challenges the validity of your intention, places a trip hazard in your path or removes the ground from beneath your feet. Being relaxed in the face of opposition, listening to it and staying for the conversation, arguing your view and stating your determined intention is as difficult when you are sitting in a chair in a warm home as when you are faced with imminent danger in the wilderness with only your wit, gut instinct and experience to survive.

I am day 11.