The Climb

​Have you ever had a dream that painted a picture of what your future life would look like? I did and nothing I am currently experiencing looks anything like what I envisioned. I graduated from SCAD a month ago. I thought I would be a graphic designer creating packaging for video games. My portfolio is all put together. I am ready for work interviews, but no one is calling. I have a few months left of savings from my graduation money but after that, I will have to go home and live with my parents. I do not want to do that. I feel stuck. What can I do to move forward?

It is 11am and the sun is shining bright. Whenever, I need to think, I go for a walk. Stone Mountain is a perfect place to walk on a beautiful day like this. I place one foot in front of the other and off I go. As I am walking, I see little children riding their bikes up the mountain. I also see families strolling through the prepared paths. What amazes me is that there are seniors swiftly moving pass me. In my mind, I begin to question my youth. I am young and I am already tired. Will I make it to the top?
I begin to pant. My breathe feels thin. My body goes limp. My knees begin to give way. Why did I decide to climb this mountain? I forget all about what I was supposed to be thinking about and all I want to do right now is catch my breathe. I need water. It is in my backpack, but I do not want to move. I just want to breathe. As I try to convince myself that I will be ok, an older woman walks up to me. “Are you okay dear? Here is a mint. Put this in your mouth and take short breathes. Here is a bottle of water. You will be okay. This is not going to kill you. Once you feel better start walking down slowly. Going down is easier than coming up. Take your time.”
I did not want to go back down. I wanted to succeed at something I set out to do. I wanted to win. I wanted to make it to the top of the mountain with that older woman and celebrate that despite adversity, I persevered. I sat on a rock taking short breathes and sucking on that mint. I began to envision myself at the top of the mountain. I began to see me walking up to the older lady and asking her name so I could properly thank her. I wanted to sit atop the mountain and look down in awe of how far I came. I did not want to give up. I wanted to move forward.

I stood up. I placed one foot in front of the other and I began to climb once again. This time around I understood how to take slow breathes because I practiced while sucking on that mint. I had my water bottle in hand, and I focused only on the few steps ahead of me instead of the entire mountain. Soon I was halfway to the top of the mountain. A short time later, I could see the top. I contained my excitement and focused on my breathe.

As I began to pull fourth to the top of the mountain, I saw the face of the old lady who helped me earlier down below. She was smiling as she greeted me. She reached for my hands. “I knew you could make it!” I smiled in return happy inside that I did not go back down but kept going. You see sometimes in life; you just need to keep going. Sometimes, you just need to know that there is nothing to fear and that everything you want to do can be done just a little bit at a time. You have to believe!
In this moment, the young lady realized that everything she dreamed about in her future life could still be achieved but as a result of small steps. She began to realize that she was not lost, but right on track. Success takes time and patience. She just needs to give her future self a little more time to bloom.

Sometimes, we can be so hard on ourselves. Allow you a little bit of grace. Take some time, to reflect on your progress. You will be successful because you cannot fail. You just must know that success takes time. You do not reap the harvest after you have planted the seeds. You must be disciplined in your actions. Consistent in your work and endure the journey with a joyful heart. You will get there.