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BEing Courage… Journey of Wisdom

Contest submission by Simran Singh

What causes a shift in perspective, a reason to hope, the courage or the strength to move forward? What does one do to get to that place in their lives? What do you do when there are mountains to cross and you are not sure if you can?

Often in life, we run up against obstacles or ‘upper limits’ of who we believe ourselves to be and what we are allowed to become. My own lifetime had become an incredible journey of fashion and glamour, having spent nearly 3 decades in the industry. Then, one day…I walked away. I loved fashion. I loved being in the environment. I loved working with my family and seeing beautiful people and beautiful things every single day.

However, something deep within me was calling. There was a longing and a voice that would not go away. It said all that I had done was in preparation for something else. But who was to know what that was? I had glimpses of it; images, words, dreams, and visions that spoke of an endeavor that seemed so big…almost too big. I was calling forward a greater more powerful ‘ME’.

I sat in my solitude and contemplated the tremendous vision held within me and questioned ‘How’? These ‘grand plans’ were mountains! How does one overcome mountains when they appear in life? My first thought…go find a bigger mountain! I went to my computer, booked a flight to Africa, and decided to climb the tallest free standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro.

If there is a Garden of Eden, I believe I was there. The many regions and changes of topography were incredibly beautiful. Every inch oj Kili came with insight, gratitude, and courage. Every step came with the guides saying ‘Polay, polay’ which meant slowly, slowly. The first lesson. Walk slowly, breathe in everything. Take your time. The mountain is not going anywhere. There is only this moment.

It was a mentally and physically challenging climb. I had not trained the way I had intended to. I had not eaten and put on the additional weight the guide books had suggested. The second lesson: How often do we do everything else but what we most need? How often do so many other things seem more important than taking the time for oneself in the nurturance and love of food and exercise?

The hike itself was one of solitude. There were very few people on the path. However at each hut station on the Marangu route, I encountered people from all over the world, most of which had never climbed a mountain before. The third lesson: We are all the same, our joys, sorrows, problems, and dreams. We are waiting to discover ourselves, our depths, and our heights. Through challenge and perseverance we discover the radiance of the individual spirit and the oneness with others along the same path.

As we ventured higher, the temperature cooled. Porters quickly ran up the route with 50 pound bags upon their heads as if they were empty sacks. Many of them would make this 5 day journey for a weekly pay of twenty five dollars. Most of them had very light clothing and ran up the mountain in flip flops. They always smiled with an exuberant “Jambo!” (‘Hello’ in Swahili) Fourth lesson: It is easy to carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders with a smile and a song; it simply requires the choice to live that way.

As we increased in altitude, the air got thinner. I moved at a slower pace than the other hiker. One guide remained to walk with me. We arrived at Kibo hut, the last hut stop before the summit. An hour after the rest of the group. Fifth lesson: It does not matter what speed you travel on the path, we all eventually reach the same place. We are all exactly where we are supposed to be.

The hike to the summit was the steepest part of the climb. It would commence at midnight. There would be time to rest before bundling up for the zero degree weather and final ascent. People were excitedly chatting about reaching the top. Some were concerned about altitude sickness and edema. Others were discussing the cold and typical effects of sickness as the air thins. I was already proud to have come so far and anticipated the top.

Midnight arrived and we were instructed to move incredibly slowly. The air was very thin so each step proved to be exhausting. The words ‘Polay, Polay’ echoed in the air as groups of individuals began the upward climb. The path wound snakelike to maneuver the scree (gravel-like sand that slipped beneath the footing) and snow.

The hiker beside me kept mumbling about having to make it to the top or the whole trip was a waste. One of our guides had begun getting sick. I found myself getting very lightheaded and easily out of breath. We would take a few steps and then stop for a few minutes. This practice continued for a couple of hours. Then the sickness started. We had been warned that vomiting is a typical effect of Kili on the last part of the hike.

I would stop, get sick, and continue on. My guide would say, “Lets go.” By the time I was 45 minutes from the top, my head began to spin and I became sick one last time. In that instant, I thought to myself. “I got what I came for.” Sixth lesson: How often do we allow ourselves to remain in situations that make us feel bad rather than changing directions in order to feel good? The experience was not about reaching the top. It was about the journey. This mountain signified every step along the way, each breath, each word in the magazine, each idea in creating the center, each glance at a photograph pinned to my cork board. It was the journey of self discovery, knowing that anything is possible. It was the revelation that the hike was symbolic of how we manifest in our lives: move slowly, breathe, take the proper steps, breathe, keep walking, breathe, keep climbing, breathe…and know when it is time to rest…know when it is time to acknowledge the victory and celebrate the person you have become.

I told the guide I was ready to go back to the hut and so I did. The other hiker returned a couple of hours later. She had gotten severely sick but kept going and reached the summit. She was a bit disappointed because there had been too much cloud cover and no sunrise to be seen. A little while later, some other hikers returned and began speaking of walking further to Uhuru Peak (Swahili for Freedom Peak), a point around the crater rim.

All of a sudden the woman that had been hiking with me became upset. Her words, “I cannot believe I did not go further. What a waste. I should have continued on. By not making it to Uhuru, I gave up ‘Freedom’.” Seventh Lesson: Sometimes we get so fixated on the result, the goal, the accomplishment…we miss out on the joy of the experience. In doing so, we never appreciate and have gratitude for what we do have and continuously live in a state of lack, limitation, and disappointment.

It is an amazing experience to go to a far away place by yourself. You grow and contemplate in ways you cannot possibly do when with others. I returned and created the new vision of myself, my life, and my careeer…and now I know there is no mountain I cannot climb.

Journey of Wisdom