It's like climbing a mountain.
And just as you are nearing the peak...just when you can ALMOST see the amazing view from the top...just when you can feel the wind blow through your hair and taste the sweet flavor of the thin air around you...
You slip and fall.
Your hands search for purchase. Your feet scramble to catch hold. Your heart thuds in your chest. Your breath is knocked out of you and you gasp, pulling it quickly back in. You are frozen there for a moment, unable to move...afraid to even breath...your fingers gripping the sharp slippery stone. Debris sifts down onto you...into your face, your eyes and mouth...as if the very mountain itself has taken offense at your ineptitude and has chosen this pummeling as it's revenge.
It's a test of stamina. It's a test of will. It's a test of courage.
It's a labor of love.
Slowly...cautiously...you breath.
Your hand reaches upward and searches.
You begin to climb.
