Standing at the base of Mount Mitchell right around the time I was beginning to put my life’s work into the world. I had fully embarked on my soul’s steep mental climb, and as I stood there, I quietly wondered what this steep physical climb was going to uncover for me.
About ten minutes in all sorts of thoughts were flying around in my head. And by the time we were three quarters of the way to the top (6,684 ft.), no one was talking. I have no idea what anyone was thinking, but at that point I was certainly thinking, “Damn, damn, damn!”
Then it was as if someone behind the scenes got a clue, and a cue to spray — ahhhh the smell of evergreens. Magic. I laughed to myself.
We stopped to take a break and I pointed out the timing of the evergreen aroma. It was too perfect. High on altitude, we all laughed, and it just kept happening all the way to the top.
Every time it got very steep — right on cue, a spritz of evergreen. Extraordinary.
Back at the campsite collapsed in our chairs, sitting around a fire and surrounded by some of the people I treasure most in this world. Extraordinary.
The next day the sun was shining and the weather was sublime. While we were relaxing in a grassy field, I noticed there was an abundance of butterflies flying all around us. Extraordinary.
On the drive back it became clear what the hike up Mount Mitchell was meant to teach me. I was to be reminded –
To see what is extraordinary in what we all too often label as ordinary.
As we each climb our own mountain, it is vital to make the effort to notice.
Although this seems like such a simple task, we live in such a fast paced and overstimulated society that this simple task can feel like such a complex task.
We are so turned on that we’ve become so tuned out.
The overstimulation is causing us to become more and more desensitized, and most of the time, we don’t even realize it. This is risky business — not only does it create a lot of unnecessary friction in our lives, it also causes us to lose our footing. And meaningful things become meaningless.
There is only one place where one can experience the extraordinary. It’s in the moment.
The more we practice being in the moment, the more extraordinary the ordinary becomes.
Originally published at medium.com