Hiking and Life

These are some thoughts taken out of a notebook I'd written in several weeks ago. My apologies if they seem random and out of place.


Recently we've been climbing mountains every weekend. On these occassions, I've had lots of time to think - time to think about friends, relationships, school work and life in general.

You know, hiking and life have lots in common. For one, we all start at the same place (at the bottom). Depending on our different abilities, we set and aim for different goals. It's never easy getting there, but if we apply ourselves, we'll make it.

Sometimes the road is easy and flat. Other times the road is so steep it seems impossible. When we face the steep roads, we will find out whether or not we are capable of reaching our goal. And there are also times where we'll feel like flying.

Once you reach your goal, you go back to the beginning and start again.

Sometimes, the road is so long and we feel so tired, we don't think we can make it, but if we press on, step by agonizing step, we will get there.

That's the good thing about going hiking with a group - you have people who will encourage you to keep going. In life it's much the same, when we involve others in our lives, during our hard times, they'll be there to encourage us and us them.

Mistakes happen. Sometimes it's just a cut or scratch. At other times it might be a broken arm or leg or rib. And others may cost lives. Mistakes in life also happen. Sometimes we'll be set back by a day or two. At others we'll lose money or some other material possessions. And like above, others cost lives.

Hiking and life can get tiring at times, but if we slowly press on, the victory at the end is so rewarding. When I face those steep roads, I always think of Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; and they shall walk and not faint."

This verse helps me to press on and reach the top of the summit.

There are those people who fly up the mountain and there are those who get there, but just not as quick. Both these people have set the same goal. The quick one represents someone who has prepared long and hard for the trials, so when the trials come, he's ready. The slower one is someone, who, although he has also prepared, meets new challenges which he didn't quite expect and must therefore take it slowly.

In order to get to the top, we need to have patience. We need to have the patience to wait out the hard times, otherwise we'll make the mistake of rushing and we may not learn the lesson we were supposed to.

One rather frequent mistake which people often make is that of taking the wrong road. For example, once during a climb, Dad and I took a different road from the other students. That was OK because we knew that it would eventually meet up with the others. On the way back, one of the students and I took what we both thought was the track Dad and I took earlier. After a little while, we figured out that we were on the wrong track. By that time, we realized that we were half-way up the mountain when we were supposed to be at the top. This was a bit of a disappointment, but at least we knew where we were and what we had to do, so we were able to solve the problem with little stress. This happens in life as well. People take the wrong path and end up behind, or totally out of, the place where they were supposed to be. Most of the time, they can pull themselves out.

When coming down the mountain, one must be careful not to come down too fast, or else you'll hurt yourself. Like so, in life, after completing a victory, one must be careful not to boast and show-off, otherwise he/she will be pulled down into shame. As Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

Like I stated earlier, we've been climbing mountains on a regular basis. Because we do it so regularly, it can get boring after the first few times. You might ask, "Why does it get boring?" It gets boring because, even though you may go to different places, it kind of becomes too routine. Again, you might ask, "Then why do you keep doing it?" That's simple: the reason I still do it is because, each time, I learn something new. It helps my body stay fit. It's good for me.

Life also gets those types of problems. Things seem the same all the time: dull and boring. But, though they may seem boring, they are helping you develop your life. Perhaps you might be recovering from some kind of sickness and the things you need to do, the steps you need to take, are so repetitive that you feel as if nothing's ever going to happen. I can only encourage you to keep at it and don't give up, because slowly, bit by bit, you will be able to see improvements.

It's the same with learning how to play an instrument. One begins with the basics before the more complex things. Only by practicing and repeating over and over again can you improve. The reward in the end is much better when one diligently applies himself, regardless of the difficulties or repetitiveness.