I hit snooze on my alarm.
“Who sent me at all?” I asked myself as I gathered the willpower to get out of bed. I had signed up for a hiking trip and I knew if I didn’t get up now I’d miss the bus.
Get up, Show up
After a brief coaching session on all the reasons why I should get out of bed now, I finally did, prepared myself and headed to the meet up point. There are times you may feel like there’s no motivation to get up and show up, but you need to keep going regardless and look out for the best each day has to offer.
I wasn’t too encouraged by the weather but had hope that the day will turn out beautiful as time progressed. After the bus got full, we set off.
The bus trip was pretty quiet…almost everyone had dozed off but my eyes refused to close. I don’t know whether it was due to the “fear of missing out”, but I wanted to take in all the scenery I could before we got to our destination.
When we finally got there I instantly fell in love with the dainty streets and amazing view. There were mountains all around and it was interesting how some of the mountains had snow on top whilst others didn’t.
The First Time…
After gathering all of us together, it was time to hit the road. I felt all pumped up in my boots and told myself “I’ve got this!”
After about 5 minutes of ascending the slope I realized “No be small Aburi mountain we dey come climb”. Trying my best not to make my panting obvious I continued confidently and in no time got used to it. Now that I got the hang of it I was like “You should be doing this more often.”
We won’t always get it right the first time but with more practice we will gain more confidence and technique. So don’t quit because you didn’t get it right the first time.
Breathtaking…(literally)
After some time we got to the top where we had a wonderful view of everything around us. My breath was taken away, literally! And I really felt grateful that I could see God’s beautiful creation and take it all in. It kind of reminded me of how important it is to sometimes just take time off, breathe and appreciate everything and everyone around us.
No shortcuts…
After having our own small photo shoot and admiring the scenery, we had to continue. “We’ve not finished yet?” I asked myself, but quickly countered “Isn’t this what you signed up for? Get going before they leave you behind!”
We will sometimes sign up for stuff or decide to start things thinking it’ll be easy at first, but often the most fulfilling journeys take longer and may be more difficult than we anticipated; we will have to go through to the end regardless…no shortcuts.
Even if you fall, get back up…
Whilst walking, two guys slipped and fell. I instantly learnt three things:
1. When you fall, get back up again; don’t sit down pitying yourself and wondering whether people saw you or are laughing at you.
2. On your way up don’t hesitate to help others because we all need a hand once in a while, be it a kind act or an encouraging word.
3. Learn from others mistakes, I certainly knew where not to pass because I had seen where the slippery spot was.
I ended up nearly slipping myself anyway, but there was a friend there to hold my hand to stop me from falling, so thankfully I didn’t land in the mud. Imagining my big self in the mud was such a sight to behold I just burst out laughing and those around me couldn’t help laughing too. A little good humor never hurt! 🙂
After more walking, we reached another peak where there was more beautiful scenery. Of course I channeled the inner model in me and attempted to take some memorable pictures. 😀
Be Still…
We headed back to the town and finally reached one of the lakes the town was famous for. It was peaceful and had some swans and ducks basking lazily in the sun. I just wanted time to stop so I could just stand still and not think about anything or worry about anything. But it took a pretty conscious effort. Our minds are always at work with different thoughts, plans etc it takes a very conscious to just hit pause and be still. When was the last time you were still?
By the time we were done, I barely recognized our shoes, which were caked in mud. All I could think of was how I was going to get all that mud off my shoes without making a mess. But thankfully I found some water to wash the boots in. In working towards our goals, we will have to work hard and be hands on. Don’t be afraid to get out there and do what has to be done, but never lose sight of your values.
To eat or not…
After the trek, We had two hours to ourselves to do whatever we wanted so we decided to go for lunch.
We finally found somewhere to eat. I ordered the safest thing I could think of then…fish and chips. But boy was that fish enormous I couldn’t finish it up.
I could almost hear myself saying “Okyena nso tomorrow” meaning “next time”. We won’t always get what we bargained for, but hey, we’ve got to wing it and make the most of it. Also, as a side note, don’t forget to constantly wash your hands (thoroughly…with soap!); we’re in a very sensitive season.
The best view…
With filled bellies we walked lazily back to the meeting point and waited till it was time to head back. I came back feeling very happy but exhausted, with one thing very clear to me: the best view really does come after the hardest climb. It may seem like it’s taking a while to get to the top, but hang in there. You’re doing just great!
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