108

top of the mountain.

sometimes you have to be the worst or weakest version of yourself before the real you can emerge. the onion analogy is fine, but there’s nothing at the center of an onion. how about this instead: for as long as a snake is alive, it has to continually shed old skins and avoid suffocating inside expired identities. there is a future that must be told. energy wants motion. when we remain stagnant, it’s what we don’t want that grows stronger, instead.

what is the difference between temptation and an invitation? temptation beckons with an obvious reward; you already know what happens next. temptation brings a false sense of certainty with the bargain, and reward becomes punishment. invitations are initiations; something will have to be destroyed or exchanged for something else, and you won’t know what exactly. invitations are gifts that arrive sealed, in an envelope, and you accept when you decide to open. now, you’ll have to remember that discomfort is not punishment. the old shoes have to come off before you can put on new ones. and we may have to walk awhile barefoot, in full faith.

what next, after you get to the top? don’t worry. there is no “top of the mountain.” it’s just the next peak after the next peak. but you’ll be wearing nicer shoes and having a better time. there will be plenty of mountain until the end.