This is so Effing Sterotypical

Pretty sure you are practically mandated by law to make your first blog post a disclaimer. Unfortunate souls may happen upon my ramblings, or worse, friends, who I will no doubt tell of its existence, thus subjecting them to more of my blabber then they already have to deal with. But here it is...my blog. I make no promises. To the more conservative crew, I will probably use inappropriate language at least some of the time. I will also "flip-flop" opinions depending on my soap box of the day and make unfair generalizations. I am aware of these things and will not need you to remind me of my inadequacies and deficiencies. I can promise you this: I pride myself on being moderately self-aware, therefore analyzing every one of my damned actions and opinions to death. I am often wrong and I know it. Occasionally, after a drink or two, I become pretty wise. At least that's what I tell myself. So..."where is this going?" you may be asking yourself. Here is your answer:

In October 2006 I took off for a 5 week trip to Tanzania, Africa alone. A single white female with the goal of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, despite the absurdity of the idea. The mountain was incredible. I learned so much about myself and my capabilities. I managed to hold my own against my 25(ish) male climbing companions (guides/porters included) and walked away truly convinced that we as people are ACTUALLY capable of achieving whatever we set out to do. Are you puking yet? So, I came home ready to take on the world and quickly realized this:

Mountains and "mountain-top experiences" are entirely selfish. I climbed that mountain because I wanted to and it served no purpose but my own. On a spiritual level, I would argue the same is true. Our spiritual highs are all about the individual. The time we spend in the valleys (a.k.a. real life) is what I like to refer to as the "meat" of life. Those are the times when what we do really counts. The choices we make, the people we interact with, the shit we go through. These are the things that comprise who we are and what are lives add up to in the end. Mountains, few and far between, are the glimpses of greatness that inspire us to keep moving forward. 

There it is. That's what this blog is all about. It's a juxtaposition of spiritual, literal and metaphorical mountains and valleys. Doesn't it just blow your mind?! I climb literal mountains, which I will discuss further when you're not falling asleep, but I'm also disgustingly aware of the symbolism of their meaning in my life. We all have our own mountains to climb. Whatever yours, hopefully you will find something meaningful in reading about mine.