Blogger’s note: Please see our updated views based on reference to Rachel Hollis.

A few weeks ago John and I visited Clingmans Dome, which is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a rather hilarious choice as we were a day and a half from completing a 24-hour race and we were still sore and tired so who decides to climb up a steep grade for around a half a mile? Well, we do.

It was an interesting metaphor for moments of life. We saw plenty of people who were climbing up the hill to the view and those on the way back down. As you can imagine those on the return trip had a level of happiness and appreciation. They had forgotten about the challenge of the climb.
And those, like us, who were still climbing hadn’t quite gotten to the turn where we could say, it was worth it.

Isn’t that the way it goes? We go through a hard time. We are climbing the mountain for what seems like forever and we have to stop along the way, regroup, refocus, recharge and climb some more. We get heart weary. We get leg weary. We think we may never get there.

But everyone who is a mile or so ahead keeps passing by and saying: The view is worth it. Keep going.
And so we do.

We keep going for lots of reasons:
We want to get to the goal we are striving for
We want to get to the resolution we’ve been seeking
We want see the view those who have gone before speak of
We want to grasp the brass ring (of sorts)

We keep going because truly what is the alternative? It’s not an optimistic choice. We often decide whether we will do something based on how long it will take.
Even if it takes your whole life, who cares? At least you are growing and evolving. Otherwise you have just given in and resigned yourself to stagnation.

It’s like the other day, I heard Rachel Hollis say in her Instagram story: Show up for your life! Get your 30 minutes of movement in, drink the water, love on your kids, love on your spouse. Show up and get off Instagram! (paraphrasing, of course)

And that’s why we keep climbing because that’s sometimes what it means to show up for life. You strive, you want more, you want better. All the while balancing it with the gratitude of what you already do have. We go through peaks, valleys and climbs.

If you are in a valley, start climbing.
If you are at the peak, soak it all in.
And if you feel like you’ve been climbing for a long time, keep going.

I hear the view is amazing.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G