No longer dreaming .... doing

Well, today I just realized that I'm approaching the early stages of when I was training for mountain climbing, over a decade ago. The last time I could begin to work at this level was when I was 250 pounds and I'm nearly 75 pounds heavier. The early stages consisted of 30 minute lifting sessions followed by 60 minute cardio sessions and once a week of trail time with a 60 pound pack. I never made it to my mountain 10 years ago - an emergency gall bladder surgery followed by a serious gangrene infection thwarted my dream. I became sad which spiraled into untreated clinical depression and I tossed in the towel; threw my hands up in surrender. The weight steadily came back on to my all time heaviest at 362 pounds.

Post work-out today, I went rummaging in my parent's attic and found my Scarpa plastic mountaineering boots from that time and simply wept tears of joy as I realized that I'm more fit now at 324 pounds than I was at 250. I sat down on the dusty floor as my eyes watered and I pictured myself wearing the boots, high above the trees, and trudging up a glacier, one foot at a time with an ice axe in my right hand - all the while taking in a scenery that words will not do justice to. Today the flame is re-lit, going from dreaming to doing. Reverently, I grabbed some paper towels and soap and water to clean 11 years of dust and grime off of my boots to restore some lustre to the red plastic.

I also found my old pack and smiled. She looks a bit weathered but she's an old and familiar, long-lost friend. So this Tuesday, I'm hitting the trail for an hour or so - boots, pack, water and all. I'm back and badder then ever! No more dreaming ... doing!