A wise man once wrote: “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken: The crownless again shall be king.” – Now J.R.R. Tolkien might have written fiction, there’s a great truth underneath those lines – Something to hold on to when times get rough.
We all have obstacles to climb in our lives, some easier than others. I had my fair share of mountains, and I climbed every single one of them. They made my legs stronger and my heart fierce. As you walk away the mountains become smaller, but why do I keep them in sight? I climbed them, conquered them even, but I am holding on to them while creating a new ghost mountain ahead of me. It is all self-made, vague, misty, and unforeseen. Decisions we made in our past shouldn’t interfere with our future. Situations might be similar, but they are never the same. Being hesitant to walk down the same path, only made me realize that this is not that path. I can’t use past mistakes, and blame it on the future. That is not fair. It is true that not everything is always as it seems, but how do we find out? By protecting ourselves for what has not yet come to pass?
Slowly, I notice I start metaphorically climbing this last mountain I envisioned, a fire burning from within. No more shadows, no more insecurity. Deep roots are not reached by the frost. Being cold to the core won’t bring me the warmth I so much deserve. Yes – It is challenging to struggle out of history’s ashes and rise above it, but what if you find the strength to renew what was broken? Wouldn’t earth become a brighter place? It is a timely matter, but sometimes – just sometimes – you find someone to be your best earthly companion, and you can walk that road together; as separate entities, one step at the time. Maybe when you reach the top you will find a way to empower each other, or maybe you already did along the way. We cannot stare in the eyes of the future, we cannot see..
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
