What Goes Up

I rather enjoy the symbolism of the ladder, yet in the physical sense I prefer not to climb them. Yet give me a mental, spiritual, of imaginary ladder and I'll climb away.

Many years ago, in my foolish younger days, I took a job insulating houses. At that time blown-in insulation was all the rage, a form of shredded recycled newspaper that filled the hollow walls, attic, and crawl spaces of houses that were often drafty behemoths built in a time before warmth. This meant a lot of ladder climbing, up, down, little ladders, big ladders, often placing one self in perilous positions just to keep the inhabitants of the home warm.

Needless to say physical ladder climbing can offer some very wise lessons in life.

The first thing one notices when climbing ladders is that the pull of gravity is very strong, something we often take for granted until we chose to climb.

I think you'd be surprised to find out how many have never climbed a ladder, or worse still only climbed a few rungs and turned back without even enjoying the view.

If you've never climbed a ladder you have to take other peoples descriptions as fact, even though each has their own experience.

It would be foolish for one who never climbed a ladder to describe the experience, yet if you look close and listen many do. There are even many that have never ever climbed a single step but since the family generations before climbed ladders they assume the title of ladder climber by birth, and yet haven't a clue.

For those that have never climbed and would like to I promise you the higher you climb the greater the vista, and if one is brave enough to look down one will realize and see each and every rung they climbed, some of the rungs that seemed so insurmountable now just history. As you look down you now realize just how small and insignificant the pull of gravity actually was.

When you do get to the top, my God the view! How large and expansive is your vista, then you realize that the description given to you by others that have actually climbed the ladder was true, and not information given from a limited perspective containing impressions embellished that knew nothing of actual climbing.

One of the most important things you should know about ladder climbers is that, more times than not the ladder climber keeps is mind stilled, remaining silent when ascending, willing to lend a hand when necessary but realizing you have to climb your own ladder and all the talk in the world does less than one step up.