The Summit Of Mindfulness

More than once since she’d started mountaineering, Sarah had heard of a mist-hidden peak that few climbers had ventured to climb. The stories of those who had stepped on that summit were vague and disconnected. It was not even a mountain that appeared on the maps. There was only confused information about a place that, apparently, emerged from the fog and then disappeared again. I knew some called it the Summit of Attention.

Solitary by nature, in her thirties Sarah spent all her free time crowning new peaks single -handedly. On the way to his goal, he sometimes came across other mountaineers who told him about their adventures. She listened to them briefly and immediately said goodbye to resume her journey, unless they told her about the Summit of Attention.

No one had yet been able to give her precise directions that would lead her there. But his luck was about to change.

Taking refuge from a downpour under a cabin without doors, he met an old man with almost transparent eyes who asked him:

“Are you lost, girl?” Maybe I can help you. My sandals have stepped on to the last inch of these parts. Where do you want to go?

Sarah decided to put the talkative man to the test:

“How do you go to the Summit of Attention?”

” With great courage, ” the old man just answered.

“I’ve been climbing mountains for years with sun, rain or snow.” I don’t use guides or porters, ”Sarah explained.

– That is meritorious, but it does not mean that you are ready to conquer the Summit of Attention.

-Where is?

The old man studied her with his watery eyes and gave an almost melancholic smile before saying:

“Follow the path that goes down from here.” When you get to the bottom of the valley, you will see a path flanked by gray stones. Follow it and don’t stop. If you are lucky, the Summit of Mindfulness will show itself to you.

Very intrigued, Sarah thanked the old man and, taking advantage of the fact that the storm had subsided, followed his instructions without further delay. Arriving at the lowest point, he looked for the path that the old man had mentioned until he found the path outlined by gray stones of different sizes and shapes.

Excited, Sarah adjusted her boots tightly and began the climb, hoping that the mysterious mountain would soon appear.

He reached the top of the mountain with ease in just over fifteen minutes. To his disappointment, there was no other elevation visible from that vantage point . While cursing the old man, he noticed a building next to the lookout. It was a round brick house with an oriental-style roof. Although she imagined it was uninhabited, Sarah did not hesitate to call in case they could give her a more accurate indication.

Half a minute after he rang the doorbell , to his surprise an English-looking lady opened the door for him.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Sarah introduced herself. I was looking for the Summit of Attention, but I guess I have missed the route …

– Not at all, ‘he said the lady softly, have fully successful. You are at the Summit of Care. Don’t you want to pass?

Amazed, the mountaineer followed the woman into the house, which only consisted of a circular space with dozens of mirrors on the walls. Sarah felt uncomfortable seeing her image repeated by all of them. Suddenly she looked haggard and disheveled, the bottom of her pants covered in mud. What the hell am I doing here? He wondered.

“I know what you think,” the woman interjected. You expected to find a summit that is difficult to access, a place that appears and disappears in the mist, a peak where strong emotions are experienced . It’s not that?

Sarah nodded.

“Well, this is what you have here.” This house of mirrors is an invitation to discover yourself. It is difficult to access oneself, because we occupy the day with a thousand things so as not to review who we are and what we are doing – the lady pointed to a large mirror in front of her guest and continued -. The clear image of oneself appears and disappears in the haze, because we rarely have the courage to look each other in the face to know what we really want.

Impressed by those words, Sarah realized that she had never sincerely wondered what she expected from life. Perhaps that was why she had ended up being cut off from the others.

His passion for mountaineering had been enough for him so far, and now, unexpectedly, he was discovering the existence of another kind of ascent.

– When you get to the mental vantage point that allows you to see yourself from a distance, “the lady concluded,” suddenly you realize who you are, what you do right and wrong, as well as your priorities. That is an experience as strong as climbing to a high peak, because the person who goes down will no longer be the same.

Sarah left the house of mirrors remembering the motto that was read in the temple of Apollo at Delphi: Know yourself.

After thanking the hostess, he began to descend that modest summit with the intention of, from now on, ascend to his consciousness much more often.