Nowhere Left To Climb

Photo By Unsplash

Originally written 1/8/2020

Sometimes, there’s nowhere left to climb. Or, perhaps, you’ve lost sight of what you’re climbing towards. You stand still. Unsure of what to do next. Confused because you thought you had it all planned out. But there are no more rungs left on the ladder. Empty space above, you’re left stranded, 10,000 feet in the air, wondering how and where you went wrong.

A mysterious voice inside your head whispers: the only way is down. You grimace. Because you know it’s true. So, down you go. One rung at a time. Reversing all of the “progress” you’ve made. Hopeful that you’ll find another way to rise.

But you don’t.
—

You’re at the home stretch. Zero to one hundred. Finish line in sight. When you start to sink. Mud. Quick sand. Everything sucking you in. Holding you back. Dragging you down. You’re so close. You can taste it. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to make it. You struggle. Move forward an inch. Another inch. When the fatigue hits... Your sinking accelerates.

There’s no getting out of this one.
—

You put your arm inside a meat grinder because you are hungry. The results are devastating. You fall out of consciousness before you can make your roast beef sandwich.

The bleeding won’t stop.
—

They say no pain no gain as if all pain is honorable. But not all pain is created equally. Sometimes, your struggle will take you nowhere. As Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk once put it- “What people forget is that the journey to nowhere begins with a single step, too.” Acknowledge the pain. Appreciate the journey. And always question the destination.

You’re in charge.

You’ve got this.