My family and I had the pleasure of traveling to Glacier National Park the summer of 2022. I think I can safely say that it is the most beautiful place I have been to within the United States (the beaches in Malibu are pretty strong competition though).
I find myself scrolling back through pictures in awe of the beauty I was able to capture as an untrained photographer with my old iPhone stuck out the window of a moving vehicle. It’s unreal. Driving the Going To The Sun Highway up to the top of Logan Pass I saw blue sky, green grass, blankets of snow, rocky wonders and shadowy blue valleys. It was majestic. It was inspiring.
It wasn’t until later, in a moment of grief, when I recalled the metaphor of being in a valley. We use that to describe a low point in life. The in-between. The bottom. The pit. Where shadows of despair cover you in darkness. I was thinking how 2022 was a season of loss and struggle for me and I felt like I was “in a valley”. Except, now I am having trouble making that metaphor work. My favorite picture from that trip was taken from somewhere near the top of Logan Pass overlooking the valley below. The entire scene was beautiful to me. The valley was beautiful. Why would we use it to describe something negative?
Here’s the thing, though. I was at the top of the mountain when I thought the valley was beautiful. When we were actually hiking through the valley on our way to the top- it was mostly brush and many of the trees were sporting fire damage from a wildfire. And THAT is a point I think we can all relate to. When we are in the valley we still feel the burn of the wildfire. We see the mountain top so far off in the distance we think we will never reach it. We trudge through the brush, we climb only to grow weary. But eventually we make it to a waterfall and our strength is renewed. And if we keep going we eventually make it to the top of the mountain and we see the beautiful valley for what it is. The means to the mountain top.
If you’re in the valley right now- don’t give up. The brush is thick. The sun is hot. There’s no water to be found. But ahead there is a powerful, gorgeous waterfall. Ahead there is a cool refreshing mist. Ahead there is a trail that leads to the top of the mountain. Keep pushing through. When you get to the mountain top the valley will look different from above than it did while you were trudging through because you -your soul- will look different than you did while trudging through.
I don’t have all the answers. I know you, like me when I started writing this specific article, were looking for something more than “keep going!” because we all know that is what we need to do or have to do.
But I’m here for encouragement. Not necessarily great advice. And sometimes in a valley you just need someone to remind you that you can keep going and what it will be like when you reach the mountain because you persevered. I hope that is what you found here today. I wish I could take away the valleys. But then I also don’t. If it weren’t for the valleys we wouldn’t appreciate the mountain top view. And I want you to have mountain tops.
So in typical form I will leave you with- you aren’t alone. Whatever valley you are in, someone has walked before. Look for help. Ask for help. Take comfort in knowing the mountain top does exist and you can reach it. Try to find the beauty in your surroundings even when it seems grim. And wait with hope for the beauty to come.
A song to give you the boost of energy you need to get out of the valley-->
(SUPERBLOOM, Misterwives)
A custom phone background to keep you focused -->
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