I was at the gym the the other day, sweating up a storm on the stairmaster, when my attention was caught by the “hill climber” profile I’d chosen for that workout.

It was like a LiteBrite display of triangles. The left upward slope representing the hard climb to the top, and the right dowward slope indicating an ease of tension and effort on the “downhill” slope.

As I struggled against the resistance of the “up hill” climbs and breathed easier on the “down hill side” I realized the experience of my workout was a terrific metphor for life.

Think about it, if every day was a “mountain top experience” we’d have no appreciation for how amazing it is to be on top of a mountain looking out on the wonders above and below. It is the striving and the effort that make attaining that mountain top experience so special. And the down hill slopes — sometimes those are the good times laced with lovely reflective thoughts of the mountaintop. And sometimes the downhills are harder on us than the climb to the top.

All of this is to say – we can’t live our lives on top of the mountain peak. I see mountaintop experiences as the reward for the hard work – the goal in the race – the “atta boy” for a job well done.

Life is lived on the ascents to and the descents from the mountaintop.

Our choice is to make each leg of the journey as purposeful and joyful as the attainment of the mountaintop.

When we are willing to let the valleys teach us as much as the peaks – then we know we are living fully – and with intention. 

The richness of THAT kind of existence is beyond measure.