When Hope is Gone

    Sometimes in life, the greatest challenges we face are with ourselves. The centre of every human's universe is themself. Therefore, when one considers who has the greatest influence over an individual's decisions and emotions, the answer is oneself. This is not always a positive fact, for when one is challenged, physically or mentally, they tend set barriers, or limits, of what they can or cannot do. Therefore, internal conflict is natural. However, conflicts faced internally never have to be fought alone. Boundaries that are set internally can be taken down, and not necessarily by the one who originally placed it there. Consider the time I went to Strathcona.

    The time was spring 2009, and I was part of the hiking group. The breeze there carried the strong, natural scent of fresh air and the bright sun in the sky smiled down at me. I shivered in anticipation of the scenery we would pass on our hike, the breathtaking view our leader described to us. Until, of course, our leader walked toward us with an apologetic smile on his lips and disappointment nested upon his furrowed eyebrows. He told us we would go tree climbing instead, and promised that there would be beautiful scenes along the way. At this time, the disapproving frown of the clouds kidnapped the sun's encouraging smile and the world around me turned an ominous shade of blue-gray.

    As we hiked through the woods to the tree we would inevitably climb, a freezing gust of wind haunted us, as if taunting us to go further. A sudden chill filled the air, and the musky smell of trees suddenly turned my stomach. When we reached our destination, I saw a tall, towering tree before me, flexing its mighty arms in the ice cold wind. There were steel staples lined vertically up its trunk for climbing. I felt a merciless tapping on my head and shoulders, looking up to see that the darkness of the clouds had complete enveloped the sun's light. I pulled up the hood of my jacket as a deluge of wet coldness ensued.

    When my turn finally came to challenge the towering giant, I felt growing dread in the pit of my stomach. My mind was filled with endless thoughts of failure, falling as the rain roared around me.

    "I want to go home now," I whispered to myself. "I don't want to do this. I can't do this."

    A sudden warmth flooded through my shoulder. I looked up from under my dripping hood and into the bright eyes of my friends. Concern filled their eyes and although they were as thoroughly soaked as I was, they were smiling; their eyes held the remainder of the morning sun's brilliant glint. The roar of the rain still resounded throughout my ears, although the sound was not as prominent as before. One of my friends patted my shoulder again.

    "C'mon. you can do it," she said, her voice full of life.

    I nodded, and began to climb.

    Looking back now, the one that set the limits of what I could and could not do was me. Not the weather, not the tree, but me. I was the one who told myself I could not do it. The rain and the height of the tree discouraged me, but ultimately the only thing stopping me was me. The ones who removed that limit for me were my friends. If not for them, I would never have had the courage to put my foot on that first staple. And, by the way, I did climb to the top of that tree and the view from there was breathtakingly beautiful. The challenge I faced was from within me, but I did not over come it alone. Therefore, the challenges we face in life never have to be fought alone. In addition, the reward we receive from overcoming these challenges will be just as great as the rainbow peeking out from behind the clouds I saw on the way home.