February 16, 2015
The 12,500 foot view
Standing a top the Peak 6 summit, I stared out at the horizon. The blowing wind reminded me to shut my gaping jaw as I took in the magnitude of what I was seeing.
Mountains have always inspired me. Maybe it is their sheer mass compared to mine. Maybe it is their seeming permanence and solidity. Perhaps it is their beauty and regality. I think it’s all of this that lends new perspective and excitement, making a person feel both small and grand at the same time.
A change in perspective, tends to do that. It’s like knocking out a glass window, in a house you haven’t left for years, to have a look around. Perspective shapes the way we see the world around us. It’s the lens through which an act becomes good or bad, cowardly or courageous, and creative or destructive. It makes decisions for us. Does a rude driver evoke our patience, or our cursing ire? Does an insult deserve dismissal, or retaliation? Does a problem inspire ambition, or meek withdrawal? I think most people have the same idea of what they wish the answers were for them.
However, what is and what we wish are often quite different. We wish we were happier, and more satisfied with life. We wish we were in better health, and had more energy.
What price would you put on waking up excited to experience your day?
Perspective is powerful. It allows us to take on challenges with excitement instead of fear. It allows us to act with kindness instead of malice. Seeking out new and different perspectives can keep the world fresh and exciting.
Having a creative, productive, optimistic perspective can remake the world a new every night while you sleep!
I looked away from the mountains spanning the skyline to the slope beneath me. Determined, I began zipping back and forth down the steep decline. My legs ached. My peripherals blurred by me. My heart pounded. I smiled.
-Michael Speck