Overcoming Mountains

Driving through the Alps was the most enriching decision I’ve made in a long time. It may be obvious to everyone else, but I had not realised how much Kathleen’s experience with breast cancer has had an emotional impact on me. Yesterday, I hit a brick wall and I didn’t see it coming. I was raw and hyper-sensitive, to which my husband didn’t know how to respond. Hell, I didn’t know how to either.

Later in the day, as our car climbed through the foothills of the Swiss Alps, my stressed body was so grateful to feel the bright sunshine warm my skin, to inhale the brisk clean air, to smell the green grassy meadows, to hear the sounds of nature and to look down below from a higher viewpoint. I became more relaxed and I let the journey heal me. In silence, I noticed how these mountains reflected this moment in my life in its rawness and its beauty…

There are jagged edges and yet there are smooth and soft rolling hills. The climb to the summit can be at times gradual and other times vertical. And I gain such pleasure in coasting downhill, knowing that the brakes are there to help when I’m going too fast.

In crossing the mountain summit, we had a choice to go through a tunnel or over a pass. This provided us with a few opportunities. The great thing with tunnels is that they provide the most direct and quickest route, however they can be very dark, intense, and you must rely on your own light to see you through until you reach the light at the end. On the other hand, the great thing about taking the mountain passes is that whilst it requires more time, it is filled with more adventure, provides more time to reflect and take in the awesome sights.

In the end, we crossed the peak by taking a mountain pass, and we also took tunnels when there was no other choice by car. Due to weather conditions, we experienced road blocks and we needed to find alternate ways to overcome the obstacles. Knowing that we had the essential information and a few options to choose from, we experienced no stress and could calculate our arrival time realistically.

When we had descended into the foothills on the Italian side of the Alps, I realised, there were many ways we could have made it. Because we were just travellers passing through, it was up to us to choose how to reach our destination and how much time we wanted to invest.

Finally, I noticed how consistently time aligns with the seasons to reflect the cycles of life: in winter, there is hibernation; in spring, there is creation; in summer, everything blossoms; in autumn, there is reaping and harvesting in order to prepare for the winter again.

Before rounding a final bend in the road moving away from the Alps, my husband said to me “Take a look behind in the rear window, isn’t that a beautiful sight?”

It was not only a beautiful sight, but it was also a beautiful experience in all its ups and downs. I am forever grateful.

By allowing my environment to heal me, teach me and challenge me… I mastered it.