I stand at the bottom of the mountain,
Looking up, my mind so uncertain.
It is so high, the way looks treacherous,
Steep, almost innavigable.
Yet this is a journey I must make,
For to live s to climb.
To climb is to live, for in not climbing
I would not be, not exist.
I start, slow and unsteady at first,
Gaining skill and knowledge as I go.
Still unsure, but not quiet so much,
Not as I was as I made the beginning.
I slip, I fall, it hurts and I am bruised,
I feel like quitting, giving up, turning back,
But in life there is no going back.
To quit, to give up, brings no second chance.
The hurt will heal, the bruises will fade,
Knowledge will be gained, the path less steep..
Life must teach, so I must climb again.
A new mountain as from the start.
Now I have less fear, less uncertainty,
I feel I may be able to make the top.
I start, I reach for the next ledge, handhold.
The next step, I reach, I miss, I fall.
Bloodied again, bruised, broken, scraped,
I sit, I cry, I wonder “Why?”
I lift myself up, tend my wounds, dust me off,
Start the climb again, one foot, one hand.
More sure, more cautious, more skill gained,
I climb on and up, sight on the top,
Feet on the ground, hope in my heart.
Learned skills to put in play.
So life will be, for all my life.
A climb, a journey, a test of will,
A task learned and tools mastered.
A test that must be passed.
Each hill a challenge, a lesson learned,
An opportunity to grow, to be better than I was.
I will not travel unscathed, un scratched,
But bandaged and broken.
Travel I must, ever to the top, the final resting place.
I can make it easier if I am will to share,
Share the burden of others that also climb,
Others that will help with my load.
I have made it hard for myself and hard
for my fellow travelers at times.
Thought of myself only, not of them,
Only to find myself alone, listening to them cry.
I have been lifted up as I lift up a friend,
Bandaged their wounds and cool their brow.
Thought of them, not myself,
Finding myself in good company, hearing them laugh.
Today is another day, more mountain to climb,
More steps to take, more times to fall too.
More chances to help and be helped by you,
As you climb, searching for your own trail, your own path.
Ours may be parallel, or crisscross, even the same for awhile.
I may follow, I may lead, we may walk the same path
Never seeing each other, not knowing, unaware,
Blind to all, tunneling from sight all but our own way.
In my climbing I have bloodied others, knowingly, unknowingly,
But bloodied them just the same.
I have been bloodied by other climbers as well as by the climb,
Known and unknown, I have no right to hold malevolence.
I have my won sins during my climb, my travels,
Can I hold another’s sins against them? No.
I will climb, I will stumble, fall, get up and climb again.
Each day I will look for a hand to help, one to help me.
I would make your climb easier, if I can,
Lift you up a step, hold you sure and safe for a time,
Give what strength I may offer, share your load,
Walk at your side, company you in your journey.
When our paths are no longer the same, I will wish you well,
Pray “God speed”, hope for you smooth trails be fore each climb,
Shady glades for rest at each crest, and that the lessons cost
Only small cuts and minor bruises.
We each climb, travel the path we choose,
Taking the path chosen for us if we do not choose.
I know I must choose how I will climb, how to face each days
Travels, each fall, every challenge, to continue or not.
To learn or not, to use the skills taught, or face the teaching again.
If I learn, if I remember, if I teach, when I reach the top,
I will look down the mountain, smile, and feel good.
If you smile back at me I will know my climb a success
Rst
Russell Eversole
