I drove home
from a hard day
at the rock-climbing gym
I felt discouraged
that I wasn’t yet successful —
still inadequate —
Not yet strong enough to do my “project”
Near home
I caught an unusual sight
There before me sat
my Beloved
Iconic
Turtlehead Mountain
Dark Black.
It rose in stark relief
against crystal clear blue skies
Confounding me
Four days later
Driving home again
from the rock-climbing gym
(for I had committed to keep climbing)
I noticed
I felt strong
I felt proud
of this 61-year-old body
for climbing at all
I felt proud to have taken on
a climbing project
that seemed
out of reach
On the way home
I rounded the bend
Before me
sat Turtlehead
Brilliant White.
It rose proudly
lit up
against brooding skies
I stopped
to capture the unexpected image
reflecting
Maybe this is like the challenges in our lives?
Some days the mountains we climb
seem dark and foreboding
though the skies are clear
Other days
the purity of the challenge
is contrasted against brooding skies
In reality,
it’s just a matter
of the
Light
we bring
to the subject.
(Feature image: Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash; Other photos by author)
A really nice observation both in your experience and in the photos you shared.
Lovely, thought-provoking post!
Oh this is amazing analogy. What a beautiful mountain too. Your encouragement to not give up inspires me.
So true! We all bring our own light. If only we could all learn to appreciate all the different kinds of light in this world!
Love those photos of Turtlehead! A good reminder that what seems all dark one day can turn to light another day.
I love this!! Exactly how I feel about my body and projects on any given day! I totally get you and appreciate your perspective!