235: Aspire

"The man on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - Vince Lombardi Artist Statement  Suspended above the earth, partway through the ascent, a dangerous question enters the mind: Am I prepared to make the summit? Despite the readying before the climb, doubts about our capacity to reach the top creep in. When we imagine the person at the top of the mountain, what we see is the summit and accomplishment. What we often miss is the mental struggle of solitude and doubt during the climb. Being so close to the mountain the climber is blind to what lay above, but sees so much behind and below to tempt turning back. To succeed we must have faith and take the next visible steps.