The Mountains are calling… I often hear this phrase or see it written in conjunction with hiking, skiing, camping, etc.  While they are all wonderful activities and I have enjoyed each one of them at various times, I wonder if that phrase is asking us to go deeper.  Hiking, skiing, camping, etc. are versions of picking up the phone, but are we really listening to what is being said?  The mountains are calling, to me, means something more.  I find myself asking – What are they saying?  What message do they have for me?  Am I truly open to hearing what they have to say?  Am I willing to go that next step to answer the call?  I’ve received some of my greatest wisdom on mountaintops, but only when I’m open to listen and have the courage to change.  I recognize how challenging it is to have the courage to change course in my life, but now I know how challenging it is for me not to change.  When I have the courage to step into the unknown and leave the shore, those moments have truly been the most rewarding.  Those moments have given me not only grace, but also freedom for my soul.  In those moments, my soul is able to take a deep breath of fresh air, feel nurtured and cared for, and be refueled. 

Recently I was called to the mountains and I was reluctant to go.  My schedule was full and my family relies heavily on my presence.  So I was delaying my response to the call.  But it was as if the phone kept ringing, begging me to answer it.  I was drawn to the phone, but wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with the hassle of leaving town, which included putting things on hold (as I saw it) and coordinating details for my family that would be quite challenging without me there.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to add one more thing to my already full plate.  I wasn’t sure if it would put added stress on my mind and body that I knew I couldn’t afford if I wanted to get through our busy spring/summer season.  But the phone kept ringing.  I told myself that I would answer it later – I am busy and I have things I need to do first.  I don’t have time for this right now.  Maybe if it were a different time, then I’d pick it up.  But there is something within me that can’t seem to ignore that call for very long (thankfully).  And I know in my heart that if I am being called, it is the right time.  So, I picked it up…

You need to go, I heard.  That was it.  I thought to myself, I’m already leaving a few weeks later and will be spending time in the Mountains – I don’t understand, doesn’t that count?  The response I received was – You really need to go.  Really???  Don’t you think that is a bit much?  I can’t just take off now.  But I heard a third time – You really NEED to go!  So I decided there must be a reason I am being called.  I made my arrangements and off I went.

Often, when I’m answering one of these calls, friends and family ask me where I am going and why.  And in my brutally honest nature, I will share my destination and add that I’m not quite sure why I’m going but I’m sure it will be revealed at some point.  I know that I need to take a leap of faith, which I acknowledge is not always comfortable for others to support.  I am frequently met with looks of bewilderment, followed by a hesitant, “Well, good for you…I guess.”  I can feel their concern, but I know that we are operating off of different rules.  Of course there is the option not to go and stay where I am, not grow, not evolve, not experience the magic that is waiting for me.  But I like the magic.  I like the joy of stepping into something new that allows a part of my heart to grow a little more.  I love honoring my intuition.  It feels so pure to me and that is where the magic lies, that is where the excitement for life is…in the unknown.  For some, they operate off of their schedule on their computer.  They take the logical next step and live a more linear existence, which may totally work for them.  Honoring my intuition is the only way I know how to walk through life now.  It wasn’t always this way.  I was tied to my schedule, tied to the path of achievements, tied to what I thought was acceptable by my family, friends, and society.  Honestly, when I lived that way, I could not experience the depth of joy that I do now – there is no magic for me in the logical, linear path.  On the logical, linear path, I didn’t believe in synchronicities, I believed in coincidences.  I was a victim of life.  Life happened to me and I coped with the results.

So off I went.  I love the quote by John Muir that says,  “Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”  It reminds me of the importance of answering that call – it’s not the mountains calling – it’s my soul!  And as I remember that, I think – there’s nothing more important than listening to my soul, nurturing my soul, honoring my soul – and that should not be put off until tomorrow, my soul needs me today.  I have an awareness that I can be deluded by my brain into thinking that everything else is more important, but I truly know better.  I want my soul to be leading me.  I know the importance of listening to my soul because I know what it’s like when I don’t.  I had been trained to ignore it.  I had been trained to sacrifice myself for others.  I had been trained to complete my tasks before it was time to play.  I had been trained to override the aches and pains of my body in order to strive toward achievements.  And all of those choices that I continued to make over and over each and every day for years and years caught up to me.  My soul began to demand my attention, bringing me to my knees so that I could see my path of self-destruction.  When is it time to listen to my soul?  When am I going to put myself first?  When am I going to nurture and care for my own needs?  Even when I write that now, I can still hear a faint voice calling this into question.  And, finally, I smile because I know that I am of value and worthy of my own love and kindness.  I have always been so willing to share that part of myself with others, but the difference now is that how I treat others is merely an extension of how I treat myself.  I don’t come second anymore.  I realized many years ago that I was putting myself second – to everything!  Second to my children, second to my husband, second to my parents, second to my friends, second to anyone and everyone because, of course, they would ask.

I thank GOD that the Mountains Call!  I thank my SOUL for speaking to me through my heart and not my head.  The feeling I get inside when I listen to my intuition is indescribable – so expansive, so full.  My heart is open.  So, I encourage others to get outside and quiet their mind long enough to listen to their soul speaking to them through their heart.  I appreciate those moments, as scary as they seem at the time, of when I am asked to step out of my routine and get a different perspective on life.  I have an opportunity to gain wisdom over knowledge and to experience joy verses achievement.  When I think of achievement – there is an end.  When I think of joy – it is expansive and limitless.  I choose expansion because I am expanding into the amazing, awesome, powerful being that I was meant to be.  I was not created to stay small and to color in the lines.  That’s boring.  Live.  I was created to LIVE fully, not safely.  In order to do that, often I need to step out of my comfort zone.  I need to step into some of my greatest fears with no guarantees of how it will look on the other side.  I do know that it is not easy.  During those moments, I do get scared, I do cry, I do scream, I do get overwhelmed and I do get uncomfortable.  But I do not want fear to define me.  I want my heart and my joy to be what I am remembered for.  For me, that is worth it.  So when the Mountains are calling – I look forward to learning what I am being called into because I know that my soul would never guide me down the wrong path. 

My trip to the Mountains was all of those things that I spoke of – it was scary, it was uncomfortable, it brought me to my knees.  And once I finally let go and was willing to lose sight of the shore, only then was I able to experience the magic, the excitement, the joy – a truly magnificent and powerful experience.  It ignited a fire within me – one that I can feel burning brightly that will continue to guide me as long as I continue to honor it.  There is no greater love than love of self.  When I am called to listen to the wisdom of my soul, I am not putting my life on hold – I am stepping in.  Listening to my soul is not a hassle; it is truly an honor.