To become better at anything you must all but become that thing. Immersing yourself so deeply in it that you cannot hear anything else but the soft call of your soul coaxing you on in the direction of your truest self. That soft whisper will drown out all the naysayers, all the critics, and most importantly, all of your very own doubts too – because make no mistake they are there, they are an ever present.
I have spent the better part of a month immersed in the mountains with a team of dogs. Simplifying my life. Simplifying my mind. With zero distractions. Just me, the dogs, the ever teaching mountains, our small cottage, and lots and lots of kilometers under foot allowing those oft ignored peripatetic ways to educate me. Each day is simple yet profound. Each step on those harsh mountains cathartic in their own way. When man climbs, and summits his own mountains, his soul is cleansed almost as each step that lands firm and true on his slow yet steady ascent to the top. I find that I leave some element of my demons behind on each slope after a gruelling slog. A small part. But it’s still a part. And I inch ever closer to the hubristic narrative that all man should strive for. Most importantly however, both the dogs and I get better, although I think they teach me a whole lot more than I teach them.
Always chasing the horizon,
Chris.