The Eagle and the Mountain

For much of my life, I believed the summit was the goal.

If I could just climb a little higher…

learn a little more…

accomplish a little more…

perhaps one day I would finally arrive.

And I did reach many summits.

Each one revealed a breathtaking view.

Each one expanded my perspective.

Each one reminded me that the world was far larger than I had imagined.

Yet after every summit I reached, there was something I could not avoid.

I had to climb back down.

Not because I had failed.

Not because the summit wasn’t worth reaching.

Because no one lives on the summit.

The summit gives perspective.

The valley gives life.

The mountain teaches us to climb.

The return teaches us how to share what we have seen.

Nature has never asked us to remain at the highest point.

It asks us to participate in the whole journey.

Then I began watching eagles.

An eagle does not eat while flying.

It rises to gain perspective.

It rides the currents rather than fighting them.

It watches patiently.

Then it descends.

It lands.

It nourishes itself.

It rests.

And when the time is right, it rises again.

Perhaps we are not meant to spend our lives endlessly climbing.

Perhaps we are meant to learn when to climb, when to descend, when to rest, when to nourish ourselves, and when to rise once more.

Life is not an endless ascent.

It is a living rhythm of participation.

Every summit offers perspective.

Every valley offers nourishment.

Every sunrise offers another opportunity.

And every step invites the same question:

How will I participate in my walk today?

Reflections by Chris “Yellow Owl” Albaugh