The wind flows every which way dancing around you on your throne among the clouds. Your hair twirls mid-air as though gravity were inexistent. Legs pumping back and forth with ease, free of all boundaries. Clouds push and shove for your attention as you flirt with their soft bellies, tickling every pucker between ebb and flow. The air is light, and the sun, cloaked by a tender sheet of puff invisible to those below. This is heaven, for which we all know.

 A sudden roar of thunder shakes everything around, yet, your swinging persists. Naturally, the swollen clouds begin to leak a clear substance, the liquid, not quite conformed to a color, falls upon the soil 3,000 feet below. A rumble in the far distance grows louder. A tearing noise breaks the silence, splitting the air and all that inhabit it. Startled, the clouds burst into tears, shedding their weight as the rain quickly thickens. Soaked from head to toe, you look up smiling, blissfully at peace with the nature that surrounds.

The Metaphorical Mountain

My legs tensed up as I tried to maneuver around the jagged rock, fearing that one wrong step could be my last. It was a 300ft drop, but I wouldn’t back down. I had already come so far. Turning away now would be a travesty. I needed to reach the top for my own sake. I needed to know I could climb this mountain and overcome it. I was determined this wasn’t going to be my death, but instead liberate me. Driven by dignity, I tightened my grip on the edge and moved forward with caution. My hands and feet would lead me to my redemption, I was sure. As my heart screamed through my chest my speed remained steady.

With relentless motivation I could finally see the light at the top was near. Reaching for breathe I knew that this was it. I value every moment leading up to that final reach where my hands touched the frozen flat surface and disbelief flooded my face.  Struggling for strength, I mustered every ounce I had left and pulled my lifeless body up the side of the wall. A knee touched and I was in the clearing. Slowly, one foot after the other I stood tall. It was a triumph! All of a sudden, an adrenaline rush filled me and every wonderful feeling hit all at once. As I sprightly danced around, my chains diminished. I had felt a prisoner to that mountain all this time and now I was free.