The sun and the mountain

I drive to the gym most mornings heading east on the freeway, and there’s a silhouette of a mountain — Mount Diablo, I think — right in front of me as the sun rises.

And here’s the thing. Even if I start out with the sun directly in my face, blinding me, as long as I keep moving in that direction I know it’ll fall back into place, hidden behind that silhouette of the mountain range. So I’ll be fine.

My first train of thought: so many times we think we’re going in the right direction when we’re actually going against progress.

The rising sun of what we’re chasing. Moving toward the end in sight, only to realize we’re fighting against something that’s trying to slow us down. We mistake the struggle for being on the wrong path. And in the end the sun is hidden, the pain is gone, and we’re nowhere closer to the goal.

And here’s my second train of thought, and it’s the one that reminds me: we don’t take enough pauses. We don’t slow down.

Because if I had, I would actually be able to see the sunrise, and it’s a beautiful thing. I’d see what I’ve been working toward. But because I’m driving and moving toward a destination, I don’t have that luxury. And so I don’t get to see it.

Don’t spend life working toward what you think you’ve always wanted. You’ll get there, eventually.

I’m coming to terms with enjoying this wild ride along the way, and you should too. Life’s just too short otherwise.