According to Merriam-Webster harebrained is defined as follows:
1: foolish 2: absurd, ridiculous
Friends, you might as well know right from the start – I have a lot of harebrained ideas. Ideas like… hiking 2,000 vertical feet up the side of a mountain. Absurd! When we stopped at the Quilcene Ranger Station we had no idea what lay ahead. We checked out the list of local hikes and I somehow managed to convince my otherwise logical husband to hike Mt. Walker with me. It went something like this…
Me: “What about this one?”
Him: “It’s 2,000 feet UP over two miles? I don’t know if we’re ready for that yet?”
Me: “It’s only 2 miles. We can do it! It will be fun!”
Him: “You’re nuts.”
Me: “Come on, we can do it!”
Him: “Ok, but I’m already trying to figure out how to forgive you for this.”
Me: “Ha! Ha! You’re funny. Let’s go!!!”
Him: “I’m serious. This is crazy.”
Armed with my iPhone (DLSR’s are heavy, Friends) for proof of our accomplishment, we set out on our hike. When we started I was energized, excited and optimistic – I mean how tough could it really be? By the half-way point, my optimism was wavering and somewhere along the way I lost all hope that I’d ever make it. Every other tree became my personal resting post and between huffs and puffs I confessed – “You were right, (huff, puff), I was wrong (huff, puff), 2,000 feet UP in two miles (huff, puff) is too much!”
Finally, after many breaks and a lot of encouragement we reached the top. The view literally took what little breathe I had away. As I stood there in complete awe of God’s creation, it hit me – I had given up. I had taken my eye off the prize and I had given up on seeing the view from the top. Not good, Friends, not good. In those breathless moments on the trail, I couldn’t even remember why I had worked so hard to convince my husband to do this hike. This is when I realized a couple things…
- It is vital to keep my eye on the prize. Whatever I am doing whether it is hiking, raising children, running a business or being a good friend I can’t take my eye off the prize for one second. I cannot let temporary pain distract me from my goals. Pain is temporary, finishing is forever. (I bet you could find that on Pinterest somewhere.)
- Who I surround myself with makes a big difference. If I had set out on that hike alone, I would not have reached the summit. I would have been three switchbacks away from the top and never seen that amazing view. That is so not cool. I am so blessed to have family and friends that support and encourage me when I lose my way. Amen!
Harebrained ideas may be foolish and absurd, but I say the more harebrained the better! If I wasn’t so harebrained then I would have never known the view from the top of Mt. Walker and I want to know the view from the top of every mountain in my life.
Side note – This is what I am currently reading – I am loving it. The best part is my kids actually think it’s about how I can clean the house better. Do they not see the child caring that laundry basket? 🙂
Happy Frivolous Friday!
