SCALING LIFE’S MOUNTAINS

By Michelle C. Ustaszeski

It is the simple things in life that please me. But it hasn’t always been that way. There was a time in my life when everything seemed dark. It was a time when my children were the only source of light in my life. I was disappointed in myself for descending so deeply into such an obscure frame of mind and that increasing self-resentment only made each day all the more dismal. I took refuge in the stories that I wrote, escaping my own reality by creating new ones and falling to sleep as a character with a life far better than my own. I was trapped between the boundaries that I created for myself, allowing no other feelings but self-pity and disappointment to reside and freely cultivate.

It may sound quite dramatic to those who are fortunate enough to have never experienced such inner despair. Unfortunately, most people can relate to how difficult it can be to climb over the peak of depression, especially if they have been dwelling at the foot of the mountain for some time now. But with each minute, each hour and each day that we remain still, we have a greater tendency to get comfortable within those boundaries. The mountain becomes a part of the scenery that we soon fail to see and the journey we were meant to travel in order to reach our destiny becomes postponed, or worse yet, never conquered.

Life began to change for me after I realized that it was not myenvironment that controlled me, but it was I who controlledmy environment. It was I who dimmed the lights in my own world and it was I who needed to slowly turn them back on. It was during that journey when I took a second look at my life, realizing that my children needed me. They deserved a mother who would provide light in their own times of darkness, guiding them into a better life than I had allowed for myself during those times of hopelessness. They deserved a mother who would conquer and move mountains in order to share with them the wisdom that I would obtain for the day when they would have to set out on their own journeys. They would learn that happiness is a gift that we give to ourselves and that regardless of how lost we feel at times, continuous movement in faith will eventually brink us to our peak.

It was at this time when I began finding the good in all things that I had subconsciously ignored. I began to notice everything that I overlooked outside of myself due to myprevious self-indulgence with inner wretchedness. I found that it was the simple negatives in life that would control me and that the simple positives would, in fact, set me free. Just as I would have probed for and willingly allowed any negative to govern me, I began my search for each and every positive that would eventually set me free. I began taking one step at a time, falling on occasion, but getting right back up with mygoal in mind as it became more visible with each step. Usingmy own internal compass and by creating my very own paths, I conquered feat after feat until I eventually mastered the art of scaling.

We deal with disappointing and depressing experiences each day of our lives. Rest assured that these difficult times are your opportunity to grow and to learn more advanced strategies in order scale your next mountain more quickly. 

These difficult times provide you with experience and knowledge that you can pass on to your children and to the world. They bestow upon you wisdom that, when looking back, will cause you to proudly stand in awe at how far you have traveled. Only through difficulty can you rest at the peak, look out over the horizon that surrounds you, and rejoice beyond today’s imagination at how beautiful life really is and how lucky we truly are.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle C. Ustaszeski is a writer and photographer of inspirational and motivational art. She believes that if you can prematurely feel the emotions of your desired outcome, your reservations have been made and reaching your destination is simply a matter of time.