Mount Everest

Utter gratitude cascaded and rippled through all my aching and trembling veins and muscles. I thanked God over and over again for the strength to do this, and after each thanks I could feel the pain siphon steadily out of my thighs as I careened effortlessly downhill. While I don't know if this was God's doing, I do know that I could only feel more thankful. I was laughing on the inside, panting on the outside. Ripples, just ripples, of gratitude and self-joy laughed and moved through me, top to bottom.

The sun was setting in its usual brilliantly coalesced exuberance of yellow and orange, sterling in its brightness. I laughed out loud upon seeing the marked silhouette of College Church, having just taken a moment to thank God.

Treachery had been etched through every molten inch of that road in that final stretch of hill. My legs and lungs burned. Each furlong, each pedal was a desperate thrust of a lifeline. Just a little bit closer... I didn't want to stop and walk the rest, like I usually stopped and walked (always at that same breaking point). It always seemed silly to stop (seemingly) so close to the top. It would be so much easier if I just walked the rest, my legs need a break, my lungs are stretching... I am mightier than this hill. Not today. No.

I used every mental trick I knew. I distracted myself, I looked at the (slowly) passing buildings, I looked down between my pedals, seeing the white bits of grit in the road rush past in spurts, each pedal, each push moving, moving, moving, it would be easier to walk... I would talk out loud, I talked in my head, I yelled in my head, the mantra didn't stop, my lungs are burning "You are so close you can do this ignore the pain don't you dare give in to that other voice the quiet one look how much faster you're moving on bike than on foot look how much closer you are my thighs are screaming, they are screaming, my muscles can't take it don't listen! what did I just tell you baby steps look down look up see the buildings passing by what doesn't kill you makes you stronger...you can do this..." I switched gears on my bike, I shifted the burden from calves to knees to buttocks back to thighs stand up sit down switch gears switch back...I measured each furlong from each pedal, gaining indelible energy from measured progress...

I could do this. I could do this. More and more, more distractions, more mantra my legs and lungs are burning Don't listen!

One...two...three...and more. And more. At an indefinite point...after some innumerable, aching pedals later, on the highest uphill gear I could manage, lungs heaving, calves burning...I reached the top, and greeted the sunset.