This past weekend, my husband and I climbed to the summit of Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire. The peak, at 3,165 feet, is twice as high as Cadillac mountain in Maine that we hiked 6 years ago when we were much MUCH younger. Going into the weekend, I honestly didn’t give the task at hand much thought. My husband had mapped out a few state parks for us to hike. Note the word hike, not climb. And on the morning of, even when we pulled up to the base of the mountain, I thought to myself “I got this!” and we were on our way!
The incline started almost immediately, but we were feeling quite cheery, laughing and calling it the slow burn. It was a nice wooded path, with a few larger rocks, but mostly dirt and pine needles. About 20 minutes into the hike, the inclined steepened and turned to all rock. For a good long while we clamored up the rocks, using our hands, performing spidey-like moves, finding our footing, taking it step by step. And finally, victory! What a relief to see the tops of the trees and know how close we were to the summit! Ah…no! False alarm, the trickster mountain twisted and turned for several more miles. We came to that false summit several times, each time, overjoyed that we had FINALLY made it!
Once we got the real summit in sight, we realized that it was still another 45 minute climb, some parts straight up, and we had already been working vigorously for two hours. After some discussion over whether or not our 40 year old bodies could do it, we went for it. Those last minutes of the climb were downright scary! You see, I’m terrified of heights. It wasn’t pushing my body hard that got the best of me, it was convincing my mind that I wasn’t going to plummet to my death (highly unlikely I know, but try and tell my brain that). Reaching the top was incredible! It’s an accomplishment I’ll never forget! I’ll also never forget what my husband said on the way down, that he was more proud of me for overcoming my fear than the physical strength it took to get to the top.
I couldn’t help but think about how that same message applies to weight loss. When we first begin a weight loss program, we are pumped, enthused, all in! And even when the going gets tough, we put one foot in front of the other, taking small steps, keeping our goal in sight. But what happens when the path we’re on changes? Do we finish the climb or pack it in and head home?
On our way to the final summit climb on Mt. Monadnock, the trail started to go down and I almost lost my mind. I was thinking, why on earth do we have to hike down and THEN back up, this is insane. I don’t want to do this anymore. This is a joke. I started snickering to myself, saying things like “this is brilliant God, I have to climb down the mountain before I go up”.
This often happens on our weight loss journey doesn’t it? We’re chugging along, making great progress and then BAM the scale stops moving or even worse, the scale goes up. And sometimes this causes us to lose our focus. Instead of focusing on the end result, we get caught up in the obstacle. Instead of appreciating how far we’ve come, we can only see how far we need to go and how hard it will be. It gets the best of us, it psych’s us out. We stand in the shadow of the mountain, frozen and filled with self-doubt.
Yet each and every one of us has the courage it takes to finish what we started. Even if your trail map blows away in the wind, you’ve got the tools needed to finish the climb. The power to push through is in your heart and mind. Don’t turn back now, you’ve almost made it to the top!
Ask for help. Make the choice. Commit to the choice. Continue with courage.
Hugs and friendship,
Tara
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