How many mountains what’s your T-shirt say?

Peace and Joy —THE VIEW  FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN…OH NO!

There is this formula for success.  We all learn it.  Set a goal.  Break it down into the actions  it will take  to reach that goal.  Get to work.  Plan the work and work the plan.  Well guess what?  That works, except when you get to the top of the  mountain.  I’ll come back  to the top of the mountain in a minute.

Imagine  you were one of the first pioneers traveling  west.  Now let’s remember that  until 1855 Iowa City,  was the end of the railroad going west…so from there to  Hollywood was  a bit of a stroll.  Oh  so let’s say  our  decided to take what became  known as the Mormon  Trail out west.   (You’re about  to find out I don’t know  exactly  what that trail  was)Anyway you decided to go west and  after walking through  Nebraska  where millions of pioneers disappeared not due to hard winters etc… but  because they were  bored to death just like people who take I-80 now.  So you start to see off in the distance some huge mountain, that became mountains and then row after row of mountains.  Well people settled  all along the way usually on the  east side of the mountain.  Why? because here was a flat spot and  their legs were freaking tired.  Then what about the  people who just happened upon the Grand Canyon?  I don’t know  what curse words  were in vogue  back then…. but I’m  pretty sure most of them  were employed the first time  the white man set  their eyes upon  that little crack in the  ground. 

Anyway, let’s go back to the top of the mountain.  You set  your goal or goals and achieved these things you  have wanted to achieve and endured some sacrifices and  did a lot of hard  work and most of us drank the Kool-Aid.  Rethought  we would be happy “when” we got to the top of the mountain.  After all we chose the mountain and did the climbing.  then, we looked around and realized that we were not  really  any different  inside than we had been the day before… and worse from the top  of that mountain (much like those pioneers we could see many other mountains from the top of this one and  the questions started to build. 

Did I pick the right mountain?

Will I ever  be happy?

What’s  the point of climbing any mountains?

Well if all this sounds very familiar perhaps you’ve read “The Second Mountain: A search for  a moral life.”  It was  written by David (I can’t  remember his last  name but it starts with a B) .  Now why  did I steal his idea?  Well it’s a good  idea so far.  Unfortunately, it seems to  suggest that once you climb your mountain  you should climb the mountain that will serve  humanity.  Well there’s  nothing wrong with service to your fellow  man at all.  Yet wouldn’t  there be a third mountain maybe to help others  help others  who would help  others and maybe  a grand canyon or two along the way?  

I don’t  intend to sound  like a defeatist  here.  I guess  what occurs to me is a different question.  

Will climbing the second  mountain  make you happy?  If so why not choose that  as  your first mountain?  Going beyond that why  don’t we all climb together and pick some mountains  together and why do we think we have to climb?  Maybe we should tunnel under a  few and maybe we should  sit at the base of some and enjoy each other’s company?   

From the top any mountain  the only direction  possible is down.  

Now  don’t get wrong at all I love  mountains.  They rise up from  friction and forces  they cannot control and say(in a language only mountains really know) “let me rise up from here and create  something of beauty to be eenjoyed for centuries  and centuries.”  

They also say let the sunlight  change my colors  from sun up to sundown and from spring to winter.  

They say let people be happy  not because they can conquer  me, but because I will be  here with them.  

So now here’s where I get to the peace and joy  part.  Should  a person  attempt to become  a spirit that can give  their best gifts?  Yes, I believe so.  Do you sometimes need to set goals to develop or more  correctly discover  these gifts?  Well I think some of the time that is probably  the case.  On the other hand sometimes I think like the mountain.  Maybe  my gift is  being there with  others on their journey whether they decide to climb or not.  Sometimes I see people climbing and want to  yell…go ahead…but  when you get to the top you will just see  five more  mountains and  that third  one…well that’s what  we mountains call a volcano and well she’s ready to blow.  

Maybe  when it’s all said  and done I have three  pieces of knowledge.

1. Never start  up a mountain that is only for you—they don’t really exist and you stand to fool yourself.
2. Next, some mountains are only meant for being in wonder about and helping  us learn  patience and endurance not “progress and conquering.”
3. Nebraska  can’t help if it is flat.

Look if you are from Nebraska  I am from Iowa  so we  have  a lot of boring there  too… boring what?  Well  beans and corn and hogs.  Yes we have more  pigs than people  and sometimes  it’s hard to tell the difference (yes I’ve heard the joke.).

Your mountain is inside.  Let others  help you  explore it and climb if you want or build a little  gift shop  at the base of your inner  mountain and invite  the public in where your sell only one t-shirt which  reads:

I came to this mountain, I saw  this  mountain and shared  in its beauty and all I got was  this t-shirt (and a little peace and joy).