Its been almost two months since i left life in the states and nearly two years since i graduated from architecture school. I've begun to notice a common theme inherent in the past two years of work and the past two months of travel - when you strive to accomplish a goal its not always reaching the goal that teaches you what you need to know. Rather, its the process of the path that gets you there that really gives you insight.
I just returned from a 7 day trek in the Langtang region of the Himalayas where a group of us scaled 16,000 feet of rock and earth, passing through some of the most beautiful landscape this world has to offer. I didn't embark on this adventure for bragging rights, physical exercise or even the beauty that i knew would be there. I left knowing that I needed a place to think clearly - to finally get the opportunity to walk away from influence and walk on to a path to truly seeing myself as an individual, free to the world of experience. My goal wasn't to get to the top of that peak but to understand what actually got me there.
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to on our first day and we ended up climbing nearly 7000 vertical feet, pushing most of us to our physical and mental limits. Most of the climb i was reduced to a mental state of numbness - nothing on my mind but the process of putting one foot in front of the other and repeatedly lifting the weight of my own body towards a goal that seemed all too far away. Thus came my first lesson of the trek that applies to life:
Sometimes under the weight of our ambition we set goals for ourselves that appear impossible. As grueling as that path may become it's always important to remember that as long as you keep stepping, you're getting that much closer.
We arrived in a small, wonderfully cheerful buddhist village on a small flat clearing on the side of the mountain. Much to our satisfaction we found shelter with a cheerful family near the top of the village. Exhausted, we ate dinner with the family and decided that we would stay the following day in the village for a day of much needed, un-planned rest. We spent our day experiencing the beautiful life in this remote mountain village and resting our extremely tired bodies. Kaji, our kind host, brought us to the buddhist cave temple that sat at the top of the hill in the afternoon where a couple of us tried our best to sit in silent meditation. I was reflecting on the previous day and the struggle that we had all been through when i finally came to the understanding that without that day, we would have never stayed in this village which had such an overwhelming impact on the way i see the world. This taught me the second lesson of the trek that applies to life:
Sometimes we push ourselves so hard to accomplish our goals that we have to step away from them for a while. Always unplanned, this break from our dedication can lead to unexpected experiences that may actually change the way we continue along the path to accomplishment.
The following day we strapped on our packs for another 4000 foot climb up the mountain. After pushing ourselves so hard that first day we had high spirits and an attitude that we can do anything. Walking through a forest of old growth rhodedendrums, i was thinking to myself that these trees that we always see as bushes in the US appear so magical because of their ability to survive. They're beautiful because of the history that they carry and the growth that they've accomplished - the way that they stand out amongst the rest of the forest with their white, pink and red flowers that only come out for one week of the year. This taught me my third lesson:
Along the path we stumble through many unknowing forests. But if you take the time to look around, you'll see the growth that encompasses you.
We stayed in a tea house in a village named Therapati for the night near the snow covered peaks at 12,000 feet. Well below freezing the next morning, the crisp mountain air constricted my lungs but we managed to crawl out of our sleeping bags to catch the sun peeking over the mountains. We once again strapped on our bags and started another day of relatively flat terrain across the valley to reach the pass that would bring us to 16,000 feet. As we walked and the sun warmed the air, i started to think about the different climate zones that we had passed through in the previous days. Jungles and forests, valleys and streams, pine trees and tropical plants scattered the landscape. Our final destination was the snow covered rocky peaks. The constantly changing environment taught me my fourth lesson:
Along the path you'll experience many different environments -some filled with sunshine and some filled with darkness- and embracing these vastly different emotions without judgement allows you to enjoy every moment of their uniqueness.
Finally, the day we've been waiting for - laribina pass that takes us to the peak of gosainkunda at 16,000 feet. We strap on the pack and start the slow climb. Spirits are wild as we know how close we are to accomplishing our goal and smiles are tattooed on everyones faces. The temperature is cold and we're all bundled with every layer in our bag. Step by step our anticipation grows and then there it is - the peak! We sat triumphantly on top and enjoyed the view while reveling in reaching our goal. But as we sat there i couldnt help but feel that the sense of accomplishment that generally accompanies reaching your goal just wasn't there for me. I was happy, but i wasn't deeply satisfied like i thought i would be. We spent the next day and a half rapidly decending down to 5000 ft because a few of us were struggling with the high altitude and low oxygen. It was during this decent that i realized my 5th and final lesson about accomplishing your goals:
It's not always the goal that teaches you the most, its about the path that takes you there and the decent that brings the reflections. Amongst all the scenery that we perceived on the way up, by far the most beautiful was what we saw on the way down. Frozen lakes and snow covered mountain sides accompanied vast views of the ranges beyond our current peak. It showed me that once you've accomplished your goal the real satisfaction doesn't come from merely completing it but manifests itself within the mindset to keep moving after reaching the peak in order to strive beyond your expectations. That is where the true beauty lies in accomplishing your goals and that is where you'll find the satisfaction that drives you to continue along an infinitely unfolding path of life.
Cheers to accomplishing your goals and forever climbing higher.
