So, one day you’re out and about and you see a mountain in the distance:

And you think to yourself, “I want to climb that mountain.”  So, you start to walk.

And, at first it’s pretty easy.  (Although it’s harder to walk through grass than you’d think.)  But, you look back and realize you’ve made some good progress.

So, you keep going.  And pretty soon it gets harder.  And you wonder if you’re lost.

But you know in your heart of hearts that you’re still on the right path, because this is what it looks like to either side of the path:

The first time you have to cross a stream, you think it’s kind of fun.

The second time, you start to wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into.  (And if that really is the path you see on the other side.)

The third time you just shrug and keep going.  You’ve come too far now to let a stream stop you.

But it’s been a while since you saw that mountain.  All those trees seem to be blocking your view.

You see a clearing up ahead and think, “Now I’ll see how far I’ve come.”  The mountain will be looming above me.

But, no.  The mountain is nowhere in sight.

And now the hard part starts.  Sometimes the path is hidden.

And everywhere you look there’s mud.

Your pretty new shoes are pretty no more.

But you keep going.  And finally, finally…you can see the mountain again.  (See that white speck hidden in the white cloud?)

And after that first initial thrill of victory, you wonder if you’re actually any closer than you were when you started.

But you’ve finally realized something: It was never really about the destination.

You like slogging through mud and slipping off of rocks into streambeds.  You like getting whacked in the face by vegetation you can’t actually name.  And wiping spider webs off every fifteen steps (because it’s been a while since anyone else was stupid enough to walk this path.)

Yes, you finally realize that it’s all about the journey and not the destination.  And it’s a good thing, too.  Because you are not going to make it to the top of that mountain today.  Maybe tomorrow.  Or some other day.  Or some other mountain.

It doesn’t matter.

Because you had more fun today than you would have sitting at home eating potato chips and drinking soda watching some really bad reality TV show anyway.

(And, yes, this really was a writing-related post.)