lunes, 25 de octubre de 2010

Fourteen Thousand and Rising



Yesterday I clambered up over rock and dirt to a beautiful lagoon, Churup, nestled between a glacier and several other peaks, this mountain lake sits at 4,500 meters, which according to my calculations brings us to about 14,763 ft. The air is thin up there, and our puny sea-level lungs were feeling it. Thus begins my training. I'm turning a new leaf. I am ready to become, as they say, "hard corps," as in Peace Corps. I have had the time to adjust to my surroundings, pick up on some of the nuances of life in the campo (rural community), make sure I'm taking care of my health. Now it's time to kick some butt (pardon my french). The hike to Churup was a perfect beginning. Up there, one is able to think of life as a whole, perspective grows to include the clouds, the wind, the grasses, the endless sky reflected in the lake bellow.
In this life, we do our best to be happy, but how much is in our hands? I ask this to discover what it is that brings joy to a moment. Is it a lack of worry, concern? Or is it the presence of something, a knowing that you are where you are meant to be, that a larger force is watching over you, through your joys and your sorrows?Perhaps it is both. We have the ability to ease our anxieties, and to melt our fears. It is also up to us to have faith.
My own personal training for the next two years isn't just about a physical prowess or responding to cat calls with a cold wit. It is about rising above the boggy insecurities that keep me locked down, unable to let go of a bump in the road, holding me back. It's about getting up in the morning with the confidedence one gets from a double shot of espresso, or a couple of beers, (whatever your preference) but without the substance, relying on my internal fire, fueling me in all my endeavors.

2 comentarios:

Shay dijo...

Go Elke, Go!

La Loca Peregrina dijo...

Damn 14,000! You were up there! I admire your self determination, it will take you wherever you want to go.