Today I did the Grouse Grind, a grueling 3 km hike straight uphill with an amazing view at the top. I went with 3 other fellas (my son Khalil, and 2 friends) who were all in better shape than me...so I was the caboose. LOL I'm cool with that. After a while I told the other guys to go ahead and I popped on some headphones and schlepped up alone. It's amazing how much a hike mirrors life. At the 3/4 mark I started to think about how true that previous statement is. Here are some of the thoughts running through my head, some profound and some simple:
1. Sometimes being "average" is great. The average hiking time for the Grind is 1hr30min. I did it in 1:40. I didn't break any records (one guy made it up in 27min!) but I got to the top. I finished what I started and to me, that's great. I've rarely been 1st place, or the best at anything. What I've been is daring, consistent, diligent, and faithful. In the long run, those are qualities that birth and sustain greatness.
2. "Then" is not "now." From 2001-2004 I did a lot of hiking and completed some major hikes. It was rough when I first started but by 2004 I was the dude leading the pack and encouraging everyone to keep moving. That was not today. LOL Stay in the present.
3. Thank God for trailblazers.
4. Sometimes being "close to the top" is nowhere close to being "at the top." Sometimes it's really all or nothing. Sometimes "almost" and "mostly" are unacceptable. Examples, a) being almost faithful in marriage, b) almost finishing a song by the concert, c) being mostly Christian, d) mostly finishing a degree or diploma, etc. On the hike, I had no idea how long it was going to take me to get to the top. This is one of those hikes where you can't see the top until you're there. I had to decide that I was going to get the top no matter how long it took. Going back was not an option. Once the option of going back is completely removed, it's easier to put all energy on pressing towards the goal.
5. Crunk music is energizing. Say what you want about crunk music, it get's me hype. The last 1/4th of the hike I was ready to lay down for a 3hr nap LOL. I put on some grimy, gutter, crunk Holy Hip Hop, started head-nodding (yeah, I looked crazy...) and this crazy energy came over me. I was good for the rest of the hike.
6. Note to parents: Don't ever hold your kids back to make you feel better about yourself. Khalil, my 15yr old son, was hiking faster than me. I told him to go ahead and he finished 10 minutes ahead of me. It's cool when your kids surpass you.
That's all I have for now. Now I'm going to bed...
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