Blog #588: And Then It Got Tricky

I’ve lived 1,000 great days.
Today was one of them.

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As I write this…

I’m in Juneau, Alaska.

I started the morning standing in line with a pre-paid tram ticket to take me to the roof of a mountain that overlooks Juneau. I lasted 60 seconds in the line.

I turned around and headed for the Juneau Tourist Information booth.

Pointing up to where the tram was heading, I asked: “Can you please tell me if there’s a hiking trail to the top of the mountain?”

Skeptically she said, “Oh, you don’t want to do that. I hear it’s 2.5 hours straight up.” She saw me holding my tram ticket. “Go up with your ticket.”

Me: “I feel like walking today.”

Her: “Honey…that’s not a walk you want to do. Walk through town instead.”

I got directions to the trail.

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The hike.

The trail started out steep and never lost its attitude as I continued climbing. The trees owned the mountain and the huge tree roots marked the harsh steps my legs pushed up on. My speed grew less speedy the further I went up.

The last 1/3 of the trail got…tricky.

The trail kept its crazy winds and steepness…but added snow and ice. When I first saw a LITTLE snow, I proudly said to myself, “I hiked to the snow!”

Soon…

Everything turned into snow.

AND…

Then the trail disappeared under “white.”

My steps were becoming blind.

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Let’s be honest.

I’m a bold human; I’m not a bold hero.

I like pushing myself outside my comfort zone…but I’m wise enough to wander three feet outside of it…not a mile outside of it.

I gotta’ admit that at that moment, Fear had excitedly joined me and Courage on the trail…and he started whispering goofy stuff into my ear:

“You’re a hundred yards outside your comfort zone, buddy!”

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Turning around.

I’m bad at it.

Turning around never makes me feel good. If I had turned around in life every time I felt Fear, I would have written zero books, given zero stage speeches, started zero businesses and walked across zero countries.

Fear and Zero are best friends.

But…

After my left foot sank 12-inches into the snow, I stopped moving…and started wondering:

“Is it time to turn around?”

Looking ahead on the trail, I could still see “dirty” snow where earlier hikers had gone up…so I still had a path to follow.

But was that enough?

And then came a sign.

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It wasn’t a carved directional sign.

It was something FAR more empowering.

It’s MY experience that when I MOST need a little nudge, the Great Universe mysteriously comes through. A local hiker suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was moving back down the mountain with her fearless dog.

I boomed out three desperate questions for fear she would soon pass me going the other way.

“Is the trail hikeable?”

“Is the tram much further?”

“How’s the ice?”

There was zero hesitation in her encouragement.

“There is a patch of ice around the bend, but you’ll be fine.”

“You’re almost there!”

“You got this!”

I had just met a version of me.

A far, FAR superior version.

With a female voice.

AND…

An extra cool dog who licked my hand for encouragement as he passed.

The only other thing she could have said more in line with what I needed to hear was my name.

But maybe She knew that, too.

“Thank you, Universe.”

That was me talking.

Out loud.

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Ten minutes later…

I made it to the roof of the mountain.

One hundred tram riders were there gawking at Juneau below.

I gladly joined them on the ride down.

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BUT…

My great day was only beginning to gain momentum.

I found a popular outdoor pub. There…I shared time with a South African tourist, two Bostonian lawyers…then five locals.

One group after another.

The details of what we laughed and talked about aren’t relevant here as much as I opened my mouth and said “Hi.”

And then the moments rolled.

So.

Much.

Fun.

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So here it is.

After 588 blogs…

I’m sharing my best not-so-secret of “How to Live a Great Day!”

It takes three pushes:

1. Do what you love.

2. Step an inch outside of your comfort zone.

3. Say “Hi !” to people you don’t know.

Little else I’ve EVER done has racked up so many great days.

Today my soul counted 1,001 of them.

S.