Living Life: The Real Way
We take a lot of things for granted in life. Including life itself. This moment, right now, is never ever going to happen again. I've been living my life the real way ever since I stood on that mountain peak.
I first had the idea of climbing the mountain while reading about it at school. The magazine the teacher gave us was about the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. Reading that really got me thinking. I want to do that. I want to do something fun with my life instead of sitting in front of a computer screen all day.
At home, I told my parents my thoughts and they supported me fully. My dad and I started training. We ran from home to school and back everyday, and we went on long hikes in the hills. I found a book about how to climb a mountain and how to be safe about it. Dad bought all the equipment and after many months, we were finally ready.
We decided to begin with a smaller mountain and build up to Mount Everest. We climbed Mount Hood first. It was a long, hard hike, but we eventually made it. All the training had really done some good. If we had done this before all the afternoon runs, we would have turned back before we even got halfway.
After, that, we continued to train and climb mountains. Then we were ready for the big boy. My dad and I rode on an airplane to Nepal and stayed in a hotel for the night. Although I was excited and the adrenaline wouldn't let me sleep, I still somehow got enough sleep. Bright and early in the morning, we left for the mountain and met our group. The guide made sure we had all the necessities to climb before we made our way towards the mountain. I bounced on my heels with a never-dying excitement bubbling inside me.
None of us knew each other, so we just climbed in utter silence. At first, it was just a rocky hill, but it soon became the steep, cold, snowy mountain that we all know it to be. Before the sun set, we set up camp and called it a night.
The next day, we climbed down a ways then back up again. This was because in order to get used to the air pressure, we had to go up and down. Once again, we stopped for the night. We continued this for a week.
One night, we had to stay in our tents instead of climbing on, because of a storm. Luckily, it was only a small storm and soon we were out there again.
My dad and I felt very achieved when we had reached the halfway point. We could just go home and still be very proud of what we had done. But we had enough oxygen to take us to the top and back down, so we continued to the top.
On the last day of climbing up, I just couldn't hold in the thrill of finally reaching the top.
And when the guide said, "Half a mile left! This is the hardest part!" I was about to explode. He cautioned us of many things, but I only half-listened. Today, the climb was not silent and we were all talking. Everyone was jumpy and we all knew each other pretty well after all this time. I was deep into a conversation with a very nice lady, when my dad gasped and held my shoulder.
"Julia. Look." I lifted my eyes to where everyone else was looking now. The top. I wanted to run up there and be the first one, but I knew too well that running used up more of our valuable oxygen. Instead, I walked the way a was supposed to and was very careful not to slip and ruin the whole trip.
Then, we were there. On the peak. Staring out at the open world around us.
Despite the oxygen tank, I still couldn't breathe. It was as if a mystical force had pulled all of the air from my body and replaced it with wonder. I suddenly felt so small. The world was so big. Bigger than it had ever been. I could see the curve of the earth in the distance. All around me-or more like below me-was the fluffiest, white clouds i had ever seen just floating around. The sky was all around me including beneath me! For a moment, I just tuned out everything around me except the sky, clouds and earth. I felt as if I was the only person on earth and I was the ruler. Then, it hit me.
I might never feel this moment again. This might never happen again. I needed to live in moment and die feeling complete because I had lived life the real way. Always taking note on how beautiful this sky is and listening to my brother instead of just ignoring him.
While the rest of the group snapped pictures, I stood close to the edge, taking in deep breaths.
When the guide waved his arm to signal that it was time to go, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't leave. My dad had to drag me away to break my trance. We then started the dismal trek down the mountain. No one wanted to leave.
After that moment, I always lived life to its fullest and never took anything for granted. You only get one chance at life, so do it right.
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