The invisible mountain you’re climbing right now

Core Article: The invisible mountain you’re climbing right now

Quote I’m Pondering: “What we get from this adventure…”

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire: “I turn my bold dreams into…”

Cool Stuff: “Psychology behind why we talk about the weather.”

The invisible mountain you’re climbing right now

A few nights ago, my spouse Alice and I headed to our comfy space in the living room. As both of us get comfy, you can hear her heavy sigh, and mine follows, after a long, somewhat stressful few days.

We both look at each other, and I say, “What do we feel like watching tonight? And she replies, “I definitely think tonight is movie night.” I nod in total agreement. Then I get to my movie list I’ve compiled on my phone. One stood out immediately, “How about we watch the documentary, ‘Mountain Queen’ on Netflix?” She smiled at me and said, “That sounds interesting. Let’s watch it.”

I felt like I climbed a mountain with my Mom these past few days, because it was time to transition her into Hospice care. And I needed something to inspire me and take me away from the weight of all the feelings I was carrying on my back and shoulders.

This documentary is about a woman, Lhakpa Sherpa, who holds the record for climbing Mt. Everest 10 times. And what honestly struck me was that she was living this double life in Mt. Everest vs the U.S, where she was unnoticed.

There were no parades, applause, or sponsorship deals with her biggest achievement. When she leaves Nepal, she returns to Connecticut and becomes a woman who cleans homes and works at Whole Foods.

That’s the part of her story I resonated with.

Have you ever felt like that? Invisible in one place and then totally extraordinary in another? I know I have.

What I loved the most was her ‘Mountain Queen’ energy: she climbed Mt. Everest because of a deep connection to something inside that drove her to do it. And that part of herself wouldn’t give up.

There was one particular moment while watching the documentary where my negative inner voice showed up that said, “Well, Shannon, when was the last time you’ve done anything as challenging as climbing Mt. Everest?” My shoulders dropped a bit, and I could feel a little sting in the back of my throat listening to those words in my head.

Then another part of me took over, “Wow, where did that come from? That sounds like disappointment. Did I not accomplish enough in my life?”

Whoa, that’s definitely some old wiring in the brain. That’s when I started smiling to myself and said, “We’re not going there tonight, kiddo. We’ve done a lot of things in this lifetime. For now, let’s just watch the movie.“

If you’ve ever noticed that negative voice in your head that tries to get you off course, here’s something I’ve been using that can help.

Ask these questions:

1. Where are you feeling it in your body right now?

2. What is this voice trying to prove?

3. What would be kinder and more true right now?

The next step is to simply take whatever action you need to. The best thing you can do is to simply notice those voices in your head. And realize, you don’t have to listen to them any longer.

What struck me by the end of the movie is that it got me wondering if being ‘Mountain Queen’ isn’t just about climbing mountains at dangerous altitudes at all. Oftentimes, it feels like the hardest summit to climb is the one inside your own mind.

Lhakpa Sherpa climbs visible mountains. You and I climb invisible ones in our lives every day.

If you watch or have watched ‘Mountain Queen’, I’d love to hear your thoughts, and if you want to share what invisible mountain you’re climbing right now.

Hands at your back always. 🙂
Shannon

Quote I’m Pondering

“If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.”
~ George Mallory, Climbing Everest: The Complete Writings of George Mallory

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire

“My business expands effortlessly as I align with purpose and inspired action.”
“Prosperity surrounds me and pours into every area of my life.”
“I turn my bold dreams into tangible results.”

Cool Stuff

There’s actually psychology behind when we talk about the weather... hmmm…
This was a rather bizarre story about a woman abandoning her dog at the airport. Definitely a happy feel-good ending.
If you’re on the East Coast and find yourself buried in the recent snowstorms, here’s an interesting fact about why snow piles take forever to melt.

Weekly Photos

Yep, it finally snowed here. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen the white stuff. And it sure didn’t disappoint on the dog planter on the deck.
And here’s a shot of our collection of Flamingos, not sure how we got so many, gifts from neighbors. That part of the deck got some good snow. Sadly, by 6 pm, it was all melted. It was fun, though, while it lasted.
This is a quick selfie with Shasta Bali in the distance with lots of snow. It was fricking cold that day, 27. Yet still not the tundra that is the East Coast right now. Don’t miss those winters.
I took this picture of Mt. Lassen out of the front windshield of my car. Yet, I probably should have pulled over, but it’s not a bad picture for going 45 mph. 🙂
I talk about my Sac trail walks, and this past week did not disappoint. I went out for a walk in the rain. I was desperate to be outdoors after 3 days of it. And it wasn’t that bad. Until I ran into these wild turkeys. Yeah, the real ones, not the booze. These guys were hilarious, meandering across the bike trail.
This picture shows all the turkeys crossing the road to hang out with their 30 other family members. Wow, I haven’t come across this many wild turkeys in ages. Guess they were hungry and didn’t mind the rain either.
There’s a big pic of Shasta Bally and all her snow. Winter does make for some nice pictures, good contrast. 🙂

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