12/29/2021
If I had to sum up this year in one experience, the 9-mile hike Bryan took us on back in April was it. 🏔⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Picture this: you’ve just trudged up what looked like THE steepest part of the entire hike by far. Surely, you have to be nearing the top right around the corner, right? 🙏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Wrong! At every turn, after each successively steeper incline, there’s another right ahead. And they keep going alllll the way to the very tippy top, which in itself isn’t even a satisfying peak to hit after all that, honestly. 😅⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And then, all of a sudden it seems, the sun is setting and you’re practically RUNNING to get back down the other side. There are mud puddles to splash through and patches of snow to slide down, and you’re wearing the completely wrong shoes, of course. These metaphors for life just write themselves, folks. 😉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you’re anything like me, a hike like that is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It was a test of my mental strength as much as it was my physical stamina. And all along, while I was going through the challenge of a lifetime, Bryan was just about having the time of his life. 🙌⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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That’s not to say he wasn’t supporting me along the way, of course! Even so, I can’t say it didn’t p**s me off to see him basking in the glory of the challenge while I was languishing inside, but that only makes the metaphor I took from it that much better. 😂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Testing myself in that way was a great reminder that we’re all living the same life, but we’re NOT living the same experience through it. That hike was the hardest I’ve ever done, and it was one of Bryan’s best moments at the same time! At the end, we were both better for it, despite our different experiences along the way. 🙌⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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As we step into a new year, don’t forget to give yourself grace and embrace the challenges as much as the comfy moments. I’m writing this as an important reminder for myself, too! ✨♥️