Swinging on the Mountain Top

I love to swing.

The rhythm, the cadence–it’s so relaxing. But in this image, a woman appears to be swinging on a mountain top. Who does that? It’s not on my bucket list, but I do value risk taking, and I definitely enjoy a good adventure now and then. How about you?

For me, some of the best moments of my life have beckoned me to mountains too hard to reach on my own. As I gazed at the pinnacles, I had to assess my world afresh, breathe deeply, pray earnestly, and decide once again to “Just try.”

Know what I mean?

Success isn’t always measured in terms of results. Far from it. Success often requires a calculated yet almost reckless abandonment to the process. That’s when we satisfy our innate desire for more than the flat plains of daily terra firma.

And that’s how we grow our imaginations and expand our hopes for the extraordinary.

I find adventure in writing, meeting new people, setting a goal, diving into a new project, learning something I’ve always wanted to know, developing a skill, or creating something beautiful I’ve not seen before. I’ve even found it in cooking, because after all the years of making meals, sometimes I like to ditch recipes, just for the fun of it, and try something new. Unfortunately, if a meal turns out well, my guests might want the recipe, and I really don’t have one. In any case, creativity births adventure every time for me.

The beauty of adventure is that we don’t have to pay a lot of money to go someplace or do something way out of the ordinary, although that’s a big treat if it happens. But true adventure invites us to reach beyond the obstacles, silence the fears that betray our childlike hunger for more in life, and release our hearts to pursue God’s best for us. Then we can take a seat on the swing and enjoy the view.

If you’re really adventurous, you can do what the person in the image does. See how loosely she’s gripping the ropes? She’s holding on, but she’s not squeezing.

So take some time today to dream. Who knows? Tomorrow you could be on your way up a brand new mountain. Just try.