Climbing the Mountain of Life
I came across this quote from Robert Pirsig, the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and wanted to share it.
"Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top. Here's where things grow."
"It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here is where things grow."
This is particularly true for our relationships, for it is the sides of the mountain of living, the trail we are all on, where our relationships grow, at home and at work, if we slow down and pay attention.
After all, as the poet J.D. McClatchy said "Love is the quality of attention we pay to things."
And, of course, just before I wrote the above, an email newsletter from Sahil Bloom arrives this morning with this bit of related wisdom:
The Good Old Days Are Happening Right Now
Life isn't short—it's actually very, very long, but we make it short when we sprint our way through it.
We all need to stop racing through life.
Every single thing you do today is something that your 90-year-old self will wish they could go back and do.
The good old days are happening right now.
Slow down, look around, embrace the present.
