Lotus's Adventure on Mt Tinder Part 3

Lotus glanced between the vines and the path, and bit her lip. Taking the vines would likely save her a few hours, if not more, but surely it was more dangerous. Not to mention, she’d definitely feel better keeping her feet firmly on the ground. She may love the water, but she wasn’t much of a flying gorgi. However…

She pulled at the vine again and groaned, realizing her mind was made up. She’d take the vines, and climb her way to victory! Or… this wasn’t a contest. So, she’d climb her way to finishing her task!

So far, the journey had gone fairly well. She’d encountered a few areas that she had to sidestep across due to the path having broken off, but overall it was very manageable! That was likely why she was willing to risk the climb – the journey was safe so far, and she wanted to place her bets on it staying that way. But maybe she was pushing her luck…

Okay, no second guessing! Quickly taking off her sunhat and shoving it into her bag, she grabbed the vine and pulled herself up, back feet hitting the stone with a resounding ‘thud’. She scrabbled for a second for her hind toes to find perch on the crevices in the rock before sighing in relief. That was one step down… she looked up. A lot to go. Oh boy.

Wrapping the vine around her paw for a better pull, she yanked her arm back to help push herself up further. Her right foot moved as her right arm pulled, allowing her to go higher. The action repeated again, and again, and again, until she felt herself falling into a smooth rhythm. She kept a slow pace, wanting desperately to rush and be done with it but not wanting to risk a fall.

And then, she made the mistake of looking down.

“Oh gods oh gods,” she whispered, breath rushing out of her in a panic, not allowing her voice to be any louder. She was about 8 ft off the ground so far, and already, it looked like such a drop. And she wasn’t even halfway up yet.

She was suddenly frozen. Then, her arms began to shake. Then her legs. She found herself propelling back down in a dangerous rush, almost slipping multiple times. But nope nope nope, she could not do this. It was just too much.

Reaching the bottom, she immediately dropped onto all fours and pressed her forehead to the damp stone beneath her. She took some deep breaths and decided… she had to do this. Now that she was back to safety (or, as safe as you could be part way up a volcano) she realized she had to do it, or she’d always feel like she failed. Even though she could reach the crest of the volcano another way, it just wouldn’t be the same. Because she had tried this way and then given up.

And Lotus was no quitter. She was going to climb those vines.

First, she decided that she’d meditate to ground herself. Getting into the lotus position, she took some deep breaths. In for three, hold for four, out for five. This allowed the rest of the panic to leave her body. She noticed that her breathing had still been a bit shaky when she started out, but it quickly evened out into smooth, even breaths. Once her breathing was under control, she allowed her mind to slip away.

Meditating isn’t necessarily about clearing your mind - it’s about realizing you have thoughts, and letting them flow by you. Not grabbing onto those incessant thoughts and attaching feelings like worry and fear. It’s about just letting them go, and accepting that they’re there. So yes, she was going to climb the vines. And yes, it was a high climb. These were factual statements. And that’s it. She let those thoughts flow by her. She was scared. She let that statement pass by her head as well, because for her, it was a fact. But rather than attaching onto it and letting that fear grow and fester, she let it, too, pass by. A small smile crept on her face as she moved on, and let her thoughts flow back to her breathing. Focusing on the inhale, then the exhale. In, and out.

She felt much more relaxed now, much more prepared. She should have done this before her first climb, really. Hindsight is 20/20, she supposed. There was no use beating herself up about it now. No, now was for climbing.

Ensuring her bag was securely attached to herself, she grabbed the vine again. Once more, she raised a hind foot and let it hit the stone with a ‘thump’. And once more, she pulled, lifting her second leg into the air and using the muscles in her arms to pull herself to nearly a ninety degree angle from the ground.

Slowly, she moved her foot up to a higher spot, choking up her grip on the vine in her paws. She kept going, and going, and going, until she’d reached the halfway point. She closed her eyes for a moment, and resisted the urge to look down again.

Just like in life, she had to keep looking forward. The past was behind her, and so was the first half of this climb. There was no use in looking back with regret, and there was no use in looking down in fear.

So she opened her eyes, and she kept going.

Up and up and up she climbed, until she was able to reach her paw up to grab the ledge she’d been aiming for. She scrambled to grab the perch with both legs and then hoist herself up, hind limbs flopping over and onto solid ground. She nearly kissed the ground beneath her - but did manage to resist. Never again, oh god please, never again. But, she did it!

Pleased with the amount of time that she’d cut off with her shortcut - despite her… minor breakdown in the middle, there - she decided to reward herself with another treat that Aolani had packed her. This one was a heart shaped cookie, and once more had her blushing.

She’d been brave once, maybe she could do it again?