Mountains and valleys.

Mere seconds ago I was in bed trying to sleep but I just could not get an analogy out of my head.

The other day my husband mentioned the value of being in the valley. As humans we see the mountaintop experiences of life as being the pinnacle and we want them to last indefinitely. But the very nature of the mountaintop experience is that it must be short lived. The physical reality of a high peak is daunting: the air gets thinner, the rock face grows steeper and the terrain grows increasingly barren. It simply is not possible for a person to remain at the top of the mountain for long without face dire consequences. We must go back down to the valley.

The valley, in contrast to the mountaintop, is filled with all the goodness of the physical earth. It is a place where we can be nourished and grow. A place where we can gain the strength that is needed for our short trip to the mountaintop that will come.

What I am learning is that while the mountaintops might be pretty to look at from afar, they are not a place where I can spend my life. I need the richness that can be found in the valley.

Now maybe I can get some sleep.