“It’s all uphill from here!” That’s what automatically popped into my head as I was cheering a friend on. I typed it in the chat window, and then paused as what I'd actually written sunk in. Conventionally, it should be either, “It’s all up from here,” because things going forward will be positive and are looking up, or, “It’s all downhill from here,” because it will be an easy road from now on. So what about if, like so many things, it is all positive and also a hard road? Several important people in my life are currently going through periods of big transition in their own lives. And by big, I mean existential. I feel fortunate and honored to be able to walk with them through this transformation. With each, their future is bright and the possibilities of what they will achieve with their potential, limitless. It’s all up from here. And yet, before they can realize that future, they each first have a difficult road to walk to get there. One that is certainly not downhill. Thus, for them, it truly is all uphill from here. They are climbing upward. Through smothering forests and rocky terrain. They will tire, become discouraged, and perhaps misplace a step or two, but I’m confident they won’t lose their way. They will also be buoyed by birds singing and cheering them on, cool breezes, warm sun, the embrace of nature and companions, and spectacular views at lookout points of celebration along their journey to an even more breathtaking summit. And once they’ve reached that summit and basked in the brilliance of where they are and how far they’ve come, they will, in time, slowly, turn to set their eyes upon a new mountain, and start climbing again, step by step. The things that are worth doing are seldom easy or downhill. So, for all of us, let it be uphill from here.
