We slept under the stars, in sleeping bags.
In the morning, tell-tale signs that bears had been in our camp, eating up the contents of the cooler prompted us to check into a motel for the rest of the time.
Most of life is like that honeymoon night. Unless you have experienced bears rummaging through your camping area, you keep sleeping peacefully.
Ambitious goals take a long time to achieve, and a great deal of patience, perseverance and hard work. It helps if others can show us the way, if others have worn down the path, have created stepping stones and bridges across dangerous portions of the voyage.
It helps to have a companion to share the journey.
It helps to have resources and good health.
It helps to have hope, faith, charity and a sense of humor.
It helps to have good habits and skills as cleanliness, healthy eating, knowledge of dangers, resilience, understanding.
We can be defeated by our challenges or be known for conquering them.
Life is all about conquering the heights.
Yes, it sure is! I am glad the bears didn't find you tasty. :)
ReplyDelete"The greater the obstacle, the more glory inovercoming it." Moliere
ReplyDeleteA plaque on my desk.
So aptly put!
ReplyDeleteand sometimes its about sleeping out under those stars with that one and not letting the bears scare you away. smiles.
ReplyDeleteI agree! But these days I find going up easier than coming down! I'm a very very careful walker down hills!
ReplyDeleteI have another blog at
http://jeriatricjottings.blogspot.com/
I'd say life is all about having the courage to tackle the heights. In trying to do something, we find we can do more than we thought we could.
ReplyDeleteLife is about great adventures in simple pleasures.
ReplyDeletewow! this is totally inspirational.
ReplyDeleteand very wise.
thank you, renee's friend. it's nice to visit here.
love
kj
I can't imagine my life without my health and the friends who I am lucky enough to have. Nice post :).
ReplyDeleteRosaria, you're still very busy gamboling around in the high places of life. And sharing your journey, and the wisdom acquired in the process.
ReplyDeleteI find that wisdom is the reward we are given for conquering the obstacles put in our way; each experience is a novel way of seeing life, if appreciated correctly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit to my blog a few weeks back!
Very nice; thank you.
ReplyDeleteGoing up is hard work but very rewarding when you get to the top and enjoy the scenery. Coming back down can be rough on old knees...and, figuratively, on any age egos.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that the older we get the lower those floors get?
Such wise words Rosaria.
ReplyDeleteVery nice analogy, Rosaria! But I actually thought you were going to write about how hard it is to literally go up hills, which caught my attention because I've been having such a hard time going up hills or steps lately...I don't know if it's the hip or the lower back messing with the tendons and muscles, but anything going up, even a slight slant, is agony for me. Life, not quite so hard when we have hopefully learned these 'rules' by the time we get to our age! I just wish I had known some of them sooner!
ReplyDeleteCan only say "Amen sister". Well put.
ReplyDeletebeautifully said.
ReplyDeletei think you are a gem!
xx robyn
A very profound post. But holy cow, sleeping under the stars with bears roaming around???
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed all your metaphors for life's journey...lovely word pictures, Rosaria.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful thought provoking post to which I can only add AMEN!
ReplyDeleteI also read your previous post. If see the world is important, my idea is do It!
Hopefully, I will never stop climbing. Can't imagine plopping myself down and waiting for the end. Enjoy your weekend. It's so lovely right now in Bend. Hope it is on your side of the mountain too.
ReplyDeleteVery good observations and I am glad that the bears didn't find you.
ReplyDeleteMaggie X
Nuts in May
Not as many bears in Yosemite these days (sadly), i like that life is like a honeymoon night. it can be, yes!
ReplyDeleteForty years is a long time to weather the storms and face the challenges. You and your husband have stood the test of time. I can only hope my son, Alex, and his lovely, Laura, can do as well. I wasn't so successful with marriage.
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to this post, and great words of advice - always worth remembering!
ReplyDeletethis is so touching, a beautiful tribute to your loyalty and commitment to weather good times and bad. my hat is off to you for not only enduring a marriage that has lasted this many precious years but that you've enjoyed the journey!
ReplyDeleteLately life has been about adaptibiity to fluid situations.
ReplyDeleteYes, conquering the heights. I loved your post. We used to go tent camping often and I always enjoyed it. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteunder the stars, in sleeping bags
ReplyDeleteOh I remember that! The 3rd night I had met my future wife in Greece. I touched her while speaking, but I didn't realise she had fallen asleep, so she woke up and shrieked thinking it was the dog. Damn embarrassing. But we got over it the next morning and it helped after all. She started considering me in a different way.
Most of life is like that honeymoon night. Unless you have experienced bears rummaging through your camping area, you keep sleeping peacefully.
True, and for this reason - the bears as a metaphor - one gets cautious, wary, but, as far as my experience, even too much.
It helps to have a companion to share the journey.
It does, even when we are very different and quarrel for this reason.
It helps if others can show us the way, if others have worn down the path, have created stepping stones and bridges across dangerous portions of the voyage.
Yes, it surely does, but what I did - except an initial sudden push by a mentor - I did myself, the path was not worn much, I had to wear it myself. Then, all of a sudden, in the autumn of my life, help from family arrived. I bit too late I would say, but better than nothing.
It helps to have hope, faith, charity and a sense of humor.
It certainly does.
We can be defeated by our challenges
We can, but, with that "great deal of patience, perseverance and hard work" it is unlikely, a bit.
Very inspirational post about the roller coaster ride, called life! You said it perfectly, cher!
ReplyDeleteLovely, Rosaria! Such inspiring and uplifting thoughts! Love, Janine XO
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of our own time hiking in Yosemite – just newly married in 1968 I believe, and I did meet a bear while drinking in a stream. I was alone and quite scared. I sang “Alouette, gentille alouette” the Canadian song on the top of my voice while tapping the rhythm on my metal sierra cup with a rock and scared the poor bear witless as he ran away out of sight.
ReplyDeleteNot all Bears are dangerous. Some of us are just downright "peculiar." (Besides, most humans have so many toxins in them that they're dangerous to eat.)
ReplyDeleteI know what I'm talking about.
Aside from that, a beautiful post. We all see heights to climb; sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't. But we need to carry the ideals you uphold.
Thanks.
simply beautiful!
ReplyDelete