My Everest

"Everyone has an Everest inside. It may not be a mountain peak or a raging river or a deep ocean, but we all have our challenges. It is reaching beyond our grasp, striving to go further than we ever thought we could that makes life worthwhile." ~ Unknown

For those of you who know me well, you know that I have been deeply obsessed with Mount Everest ever since I read Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine. Since then, I have read pretty much every climbing book out there that deals with Everest. I have been searching for the reason why people risk their lives to climb a mountain. Were they all just totally insane? I have found common themes in the lives of Everest climbers. They are searching for something bigger than themselves in life. Most report that the only place in the world that they feel most alive and closest to God is on the mountaintop. Even thought I haven't climbed Everest myself, I feel a kinship with those people. They all have struggles in their personal lives both physical and emotional. They push through their struggles and find out where their breaking point is and become stronger on the other side.
Chiari has become my newest Everest ~ it's large and menacing, but at the same time a part of me (affectionately known as my 'Brain tail'). I know that if I press on and keep climbing (metaphorically and physically) that I will find my breaking point. I refuse to let this stand in the way of my life, but have resolved to make it part of the journey. What doesn't kill us will only make us stronger ~ bring it on!