Yesterday’s hike inspired some fascinating thoughts, as often nature does.
My husband and I took a trail up to the top of a mountain that was fairly steep. The first part of the hike was just an old service road but still steep to climb. The second half was a tiny path carved on the side of the mountain. When we came to a “T” in the trail, we decided to take the steeper path up. It was nothing I would have attempted by myself, but so glad we could do it together. When we got to the top, we had climbed over 1000 feet in elevation, and I was a sweaty and dusty mess- but I felt accomplished.
We made the last few steps over the top and I noticed two girls dressed as if they had just come from having high tea and biscuits, not hiking a mountain. Their perfectly curled hair and contoured make-up made me do a double-take, thinking we had just hiked up to a remote beauty salon. Their clothes were clean and stylish, free of sweat, complete with matching and fashionable shoes that were anything but appropriate for a hike. I instantly looked at them and then again at myself and thought, “What in the actual f*ck? There is no way these girls climbed up here, even on the easy path.” They look perfectly put together. Was I being punked?!?
A few minutes later, that’s when I saw it, the other side of the mountain. It was a perfectly well-groomed wide pathway leading down the other side. This path was even and smooth, free of rocks, and sloped downward at barely an incline. Not only that, but the other side of the mountain was maybe a 200-foot descent until you arrived at a lovely meadow that went back into another area of the park.
The pathway the girls took was the equivalent of running to the store and picking up an apple pie versus my version of harvesting my own damn apples and rolling the crust from scratch: same results, two completely different routes.
The moral of the story; Everyone’s journey to the top is a little different. You may arrive at the same place as someone else, bruised, battered, and dirty, but you made it. You took the hard road, and you encountered more obstacles along the way, but you made it.
Constantly comparing yourself to others can have devastating consequences on your self-worth. If you are proud of your accomplishments and know you went through hell to get where you are, that is the only verification you need.
So be kinder to yourself, and love yourself because some paths are rockier than others.
Very true!!
Excellent post, Callie! Very insightful, and certainly encouraging. There are many out there right now who are comparing how they’ve fared during times of self quarantine vs. others. Maybe they didn’t learn a new language, paint a masterpiece, or finish that great American novel…but each of us take our own path, find our own way through tough times. Your post was amazing!!
Thank you Susan, I just hope more people take that message to heart and stop being so hard on themselves!