Look back, not ahead
This is true for most (OK, all) long distance hikes I’ve ever done, and I’m thinking it has some value as a life lesson as well!
I was reminded of it again today as Emily and I finished Day 4 of the 4 hardest days in the middle of the Camino Primitivo.
In the last 4 days we have:
- Walked 87 mountain kilometres
- Ascended 3779 meters (equivalent of 6.8 CN towers)
- Descended 3590 meters (equivalent of 6.5 CN towers)
She has valiantly carried her backpack every step. I have had mine shipped ahead for the last 4 days.
She waits for me at the bottom of the hills - today for close to an hour!
What is the life lesson?
You can learn a lot about yourself by looking back at where you have come.
Because every day is a struggle (don’t feel sorry for me. It’s a struggle I have chosen.)
But because every day is a struggle, it’s easy to just put your head down and plod on! Or pick your head up, see what’s coming, give a grunt of despair and then plod on.
Today during one of the longer ascents I had to stop to catch my breath. I looked back over my shoulder and was amazed at how far we had come. Until this point I had only been plodding and thinking of the struggle of the next hill.
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| See the mountains in the distance? They used to be our mountains! |
So here’s the life lesson in a nutshell:
- When you look ahead, you only see the struggles you must face.
- When you look back you see the victories you have gained!
And bonus lesson:
- the reminder of past victories often give you strength for future struggles!
That’s it for tonight. Enough philosophizing for today.
Tomorrow we are planning a short (15 km) day, with less than 1 CN tower of both up and down.
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