"There is freedom waiting for you, on the breezes of the sky. And you ask, 'What if I fall? 'Oh but my darling, what if you fly?"
The slopes were painted vibrantly with shades of reds, oranges and yellows. At Paradise, fall had come. The new growth pines stood strong on the steep mountain slopes. Their strength radiating waves of energy that permeated my skin and increased with frequency in me. Deliberate and with intention, I set foot for higher grounds, seeking to discover that which I did not know.
I was in the company of some of nature's most compelling elements. I zipped up my puff and warmed my hands with my breath as the winds swirled about singing sweet melodies. My gaze fixated to the south and I could see a thick, dense fog settle below the treeline blanketing everything but the peaks of the surrounding mountains and the higher ridge lines. Surely it was warmer down below. The cirques and aretes on the face behind me were covered with snow and ice and below the surface, rushing waters made their way downstream, racing the season's end. The water carved out beautifully braided streams painting the snowfields with intricate patterns. I could hear the melt water trickling over the volcanic rock that formed the mountain I stood upon. Ice broke from the glacial walls sending cacophonous tremors of noise that bounced and bounded across every molecule of air. The scent of fall filled my nostrils. My skin tingled from the warmth of the sun despite the chill in the air. The crunch of snow beneath my feet reminded me of my direction, The songs of the distant birds reminded me of the life that surrounded me. Every element with purpose, moving in rhythm together, in a perfect equilibrium.
I felt awake, alive and consciously connected. I felt freedom. Mountains have a way of doing that. The grandness of exposure, the unpredictable nature of weather-- unforgiving and yet so very humbling. Mountains speak words that demand appreciation, protection and care and when I listen, I understand.
From my vantage, I could see the curvature of the Earth. With my eyes closed, I imagined my arms wrapped around the distant horizon in an embrace that warmed my blood and kept my heart beating.
The alpine vantage shifted my disposition and I envisioned myself swimming in the sky and glissading down snowfields to sun rays and the clouds delivering my dreams.
Everything was calm in me. "Relax into the world. You are forever free"