“Ruth di ba sabi ko sayo walang baguhan? Baka di
niya kayanin!”
Once upon a summer, I
was invited to a mountain climbing. As an adventure junkie, I went for a go in
a heartbeat. It was my first official climb. Not to mention my first four
mountains in a day climb. That was one of the most exhausting experiences in my
entire life. But one of the most valuable experiences that made me better
understand life itself.
At 2 am, we were on
our way to the first peak to conquer, Mt. Marami. Meeting my fellow climbers
looking so professional about this thing had me worried if my 2 bars of
Snickers and a liter of water would get me through the day. I was even ready to
bail out when one of the organizers said to the person who invited me, “Ruth,di
ba sabi ko sayo walang baguhan”.
I felt backing out.
Why go through this when I could sleep and read the whole day? But that person
told them I can do it and winked at me. My mind argued. How dare is she to believe I can do it? We are talking about four mountains here! But on one note, what would I lose if I do this except for few calories. I decided to stay. They already had my
registration anyway so Mr. Giving Up you are not an option. That person
believed that I can do it. And when I signed up to this I also thought I could do so.
The first 30 minutes
of the trek was fine but as hours passed it was killing me. My sweat trickled
from anywhere and I panted like a dog. Hopelessness seeped in upon hearing them
we were not even half of the trek. I was hungry and thirsty and starting to
think if my colleagues were on drugs. Like how could they walk normally and
steadily while my heart was ready to explode? Ah, pain… Endless pain…
Then I found myself
standing before a crystal clear calm stream.
I was staring at myself and asked, why do I keep on whining? Pain is
part of the journey. Can I just enjoy this? I looked around realized how the
morning sun could be so beautiful when clouds and fogs try to hide it. There
were wild flowers silently screaming to be noticed. Climbers who were willing
to share their stories. It made the climb easier. Sometimes in life, we are
just too itchy to get something done that we failed to notice and be enthralled
by the simple things that come along the way.
When you are about to
conquer the peak, the ascent could be very rocky it will hurt your hands. The
path is getting narrower you have to look closely. You have to grip well in
order not to fall. You have to be mindful every step of the way until you get
there. Thirst, starvation, wounds, scars, they are just few of the pains to
deal with but they won’t matter when you finally stand at the peak, feeling on
top of the world as you savor the earth’s splendor. No pain, no gain, they say.
Same goes with life and successes. You have to work for it. And you just don’t
give up.
Upon descent, the
summer sun was hostile hot it felt like my head was to be ripped off. I barely
had any water left and I was tired my surrounding started to blur. I walked and
stumbled, walked and stumbled for eternity. My exhaustion tricked me to give up
and just when I was about to, I caught a glimpse of our jump-off site. Funny it
is with life. You won’t really know if you are approaching the finish line when
you focus on pain too much. But if you keep going, you will be surprised it
will be over. And it pays when you just don’t give up.
And there one mountain down, three more to go
and it was already 12 midnoon. Next stop, Mt. Buntis. Everyone was eager to
take over the next peak except me. Dehydration had me down. I wanted to push
through. Prove these people this rookie can do it but my feet were not just up
for the challenge. Swallowing my pride, I told them, I’d wait at the van.
People call it quitting. I call it being smart. I could feel my system dying. If I don’t listen to it, I could be courting more serious trouble.
Accepting failure in
life is never easy. Most especially if you are trying to please spectators. But
in the end, I should know that we are talking about my journey here and not
theirs. Yes, I made a pass in climbing this peak. I’ve learned that giving up
is not a bad thing at all. Giving up when you know you cannot do it at the
moment because of circumstances you are not in control of is fairly okay.
It was already dark
when we reached the third mountain. This time, I felt better and was back on
the challenge. Mt Nagpatong was an easy climb. This taught me that after every
fall, you just keep going and you’ll be stunned how things unfold.
By 8 pm, we arrived at
the last peak, Pico de Loro. My mind, body and soul was morose I could not take
anymore mountain. I decided not to climb it. Almost all of us did except the four
hardcore mountaineers. I was not ashamed of it anymore. And adage could say he
sky is the limit but reality is, at some point, you need to acknowledge
constraints that are way beyond your control and seek the best option. You can
always get back into it the next time. You just don’t simply give up when you
intend to try it again next time when you are capable and ready to do so.
Life is full of rocky mountains to climb. It
sure is to be thrown with tons of pains, struggles and bottleneck the most
tempting to do is give up—our dreams, our goals, our passion. Just keep going.
But if it is way too much and you could not take it anymore, give yourself a
break. Learn to rest. Learn to breathe. It is part of not giving up.
Basic Speech No. 10
Pioneer Trailblazers
Toastmasters Club
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