Lessons from Hiking

Whenever I go hiking, I get at least one life lesson.  I have decided to share some of them from this year with you.  Share yours if you have any!

1. It is so much easier to go down than go up.  And once you start the journey down, there is usually no need to stop to catch your breath.  You have momentum.  We should constantly be striving to go up, even though it's hard.

2. When you slip and fall on the rocks, you have to get back up and keep going.

3. Sometimes you have to push through the pain.

4. The satisfaction comes when you have pushed yourself farther than you knew you could go.  When you get to the top, you can see how far you've come, and your perspective is clearer than when you were in the middle of the hike.

5. When you take the path less traveled, you might see some cool things, but a cactus will try to eat you and you will wish you wore long pants. And in the end, you're just grateful you made out out alive.  (This is a direct quote from one of my hikes.  There are many meanings here.  You can interpret it for yourself.)