They say hindsight is 20/20; you can see where you've been and you can see the wrong steps you made on the way. And sometimes, sometimes you can see the beautiful hill that you climbed that led you to the top of the mountain where you currently stand, looking out over your bright future.
Yesterday I saw a "for sale" sign placed in my front yard.
A week ago I watched my husband walk across the stage and be hooded as Dr. Renegar.
In two months I'll watch my baby girl take the long walk to her Kindergarten classroom.
Over the last few years, I've seen my children grow and change and witnessed my mother, brother, sister, brothers-in-law, and countless students begin to fulfill their own dreams.
Each day, for the last three years, I've trudged up the side of this mountain. Sometimes I ran, sometimes I stumbled, occasionally I slipped and fell and had to wipe the muck and dirt away before raising my head and climbing again. Each day I wondered, "Who am I and where am I going?" And yet, I climbed, patiently placing one foot in front of the other.
When you are focused on climbing and not falling you often don't stop to smell the roses. You don't look around or behind, but ahead, despite not really knowing what the view will be from the top.
And then, one day, you're there. You are at the top of your mountain, with so much hard work behind you. You see your future laid out in the valley below you and you can see the path down. Your legs are tired and your heart full of the struggles and successes of the climb, but your energy is renewed and your eyes bright.
This is my mountain and I made it. I'm at the top, looking down. Watch out world, here I come.
