Christmas In November

Day 32: I would boycott the stores where I saw Christmas merchandise on the shelves prior to Hallowe'en, but I'd go naked and starve if I did. Here at home, however, I don't mind Christmas coming in November when my Zygocacti respond to the transition of seasons. After all, they bloom when they're supposed to bloom once they've resumed their natural rhythms after having been forced into a one-time December display. It might be that they're giving us some sage advice: give from the heart when the time is right, not by the calendar (and certainly not because you feel forced).

Be Bolder

Day 42: I visited a couple of old friends today, and as conversations with old friends often do, our discussion turned to life philosophies. Since they seemed to be well-grounded and both hold positions of some prominence in the local community, I asked them to share the secret of their success. I thought I would share their wisdom with you, my dear readers.

Dispatch

Day 1 (yeah, I've decided to keep going): A quarter of a century ago, I divorced myself from the hype of "news," figuring that whatever was happening was going to happen one way or another, knowing that there was nothing I could do to change it. I'd deal with "it" when "it" affected me personally rather than getting all stirred up about it, losing sleep over it, having my health affected by it. It's a system which has stood me in good stead, although sometimes it irritates friends when I tell them I haven't got a clue what they're blathering about.

This discussion is rather timely, as a matter of fact. The US Government is shut down, Federal employees furloughed and sent home. I would have had no idea this was coming but for the fact that it affects my work at Mount Rainier, and moreso, it affects my supervisor and good friend Kevin. As we were driving out of the Park last week, his job at that time in limbo, he mentioned to me a previous shutdown. My response was an indicator of just how insulated against bad news I've made myself. I said, "Huh? What? When?"

Seems the last shutdown slipped right past me and I never knew it. It happened in 1995. The world kept turning. I didn't miss any meals. Nobody shut my power off. The mushrooms kept sprouting and the birds kept chirping. In blissful ignorance, I went about my daily life not knowing about the event. "No news is good news," they say, although I think my slant on that is slightly different than the intended meaning.

My "newspaper" is the Eatonville Dispatch's "Marketplace." It gives me a few local headlines which I ignore, classified ads for yard sales and farm equipment, and the ad from Plaza Market where I shop. Of the above, the grocery flyer is the only part I read. I mean, I can get worked up about cake mix going on sale.

Uphill Climb

Day 324: It's been an uphill climb, dammit, but I've got here by putting one foot in front of the other one, navigating around crevasses, keeping my focus on reaching the goal. I don't know that I've achieved anything in anyone else's eyes, but that's not the point. It's just about getting to the top...and getting back down again in one piece. Sometimes the obstacles have seemed insurmountable. Sometimes I've felt dwarfed by the challenge ahead, but as I've chided myself time and again, "You ain't gonna get there by lookin' at it," and that philosophy has driven me to take the next step even when I thought I couldn't go on.

So what's up there that's so important? Nothing but a purely personal reward: "Been there, done that." Is it worth the pain? Too damn right it is! Yeah, there are risks. There are risks in getting out of bed in the morning. You can't let fear govern you, but you have to be wise in the way you approach the pitfalls. You have to be on your toes, in control, tight every single moment. Takes a lot of mental discipline, life.

If you were to ask me what single event stands out among the things I've done, I'd pull out that top photo and say, "This. I spent a night on the summit of Mount Rainier. On purpose." There are a lot of people who overnight up there without planning it, so I have to qualify that. My husband and I climbed via Camp Hazard and Kautz Glacier, laden with full expedition gear "just because." We spent the next day exploring the crater and venturing into steam caves; not deeply, but far enough in to feel the breath of the volcano whispering in our ears. We touched warm rocks with our bare hands when our faces were aching with cold though we were masked by wool balaclavas. We smelled the sulphrous gases emerging from the Mountain's digestive tract.

I was nine years old when I decided I wanted to be a climber. There was only one Mountain on my "to-do" list in those days because I was too young to know there were others. Yet even after I had met Mount Rainier's challenge and gone on to conquer lesser peaks, there was only one Mountain in my heart. Six successful ascents I made, by five routes or variations, but only once did I tuck in for the night with the crater rim rising around me, the greatest moment of my life spent sleeping so soundly that I did not wake to view the stars.