Look down, lean forward, take the first step, and then just take one step after the other until—heart and lungs pumping—I reach the top.
Most days I climb a very steep hill near my home. It is both exhilarating and exhausting. It also gives me a strong sense of accomplishment… and my cardiologist friend tells me it’s good for me physically and mentally.
Many days I hear the voice of another great friend who is a physical therapist and who once served as the trainer for a basketball team I coached. In the midst of the players running sprints on the court, he would yell out in a very encouraging, yet clear voice, “No quit!”
So when the hill feels particularly vertical, his voice rings loudly in my head: “No quit!”
Through the years, the daily sojourn up this steep hill has taught me many things.
First, whatever I am pursuing or enduring always begins with a first step… followed, at whatever pace is possible, by one step after another. No quit.
Second, while an occasional glance ahead to see my desired destination is helpful, keeping my focus on what is right in front of me is most important.
Third, in the midst of that focus, it matters to embrace a posture of appreciation. It is a gift to be outside, surrounded by incredible beauty. I am fortunate to have the health to be able to make this journey up the hill. And I am always happy to share the hike with others—with the caveat that I will mainly listen.
I am blessed to ‘walk’ with a wide variety of people. Some I have had the pleasure and privilege of accompanying for decades. Others are new companions on the path, bringing new stories and new wonderings.
On other days I walk in solitude—but never alone. Prayers, ponderings, and possibilities ‘speak’ to me as I make my way, one step in front of the other.
All of it fills and inspires my heart, mind, and soul.
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl—but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
BP