Are We There Yet?
When friends came to visit me in Boulder the other day, I decided to take them on a hike. I picked a place that I remembered as being a little challenging but still quite manageable, the kind of place that offered a little adventure, a lot of beauty, and plenty of photo ops. I started our journey full of vim and vigor. Skipping ahead to point out, well points of interest, I was happy to be hiking and felt very prepared.
- WATER,(one bottle, check
- ADEQUATE SHOES, check
- COMFORTABLE CLOTHES, check
- WALKING STICK, check
- SUNSCREEN, check
Now in my mind, I’m a hiker. I used to hike a lot, but it seems like since I’ve spent so much time in LA, I don’t hike as much although I do walk a lot. About 15 minutes into the hike, I definitely realized I’m not a hiker in Boulder anymore, and the altitude started making its presence known. Choosing to hike at 11am on a HOT summer day out in the open, not the best idea. But still, the scenery was beautiful and we were fine. 30 min in, I’m definitely feeling it, but not as skippy as I was. How much longer? Are we there yet? 45 minutes and my one (and only) water bottle is half way gone. Boy, is it hot on the trail! We are not near as far as I thought I would be either! We keep hiking and after about one and half hours in, I think about should I turn back or keep going. I know what’s behind me, not really sure of the future path and how much longer exactly. Either way, it is going to be hard, hot and my newly developed blister is still going to hurt! I’m taking baby sips of my water by this point and stopping frequently along the way to rest and cool down. Decide to move forward. Focus on the end goal. Just keep going, put one foot in front of the other. My friends are in better shape than I am. They are struggling, but definitely not as much as me! As we finally reach the top, and start our descent, I realize this is just like starting a business or even doing business on a day to day basis.
We prepare as much as we can.
There are always a few things we forget or don’t plan for.
Sometimes we have to slow down a little bit to handle the pain.
Sometimes we have to keep working through the pain.
When we reach a crossroad, we have to make a decision.
Focus on the end goal.
Putting one foot in front of the other helps.
When we arrived at end of our hike, (3 hours total hike time, boy, was I thirsty!!!)we were jubilant! We were so proud of ourselves and rewarded ourselves with a fabulous lunch and something very cool and refreshing to drink! Isn’t that a great way to end something challenging?
xo, jan