Climbing

We're now living near the village of El Verger, in Valencia Province, in an area of flat country, surrounded, at a distance, by mountains and the deep blue of the boundless sea.  The incredible sense of
space from being able to see for miles all around is accentuated by the sudden upward thrust of the encircling ranges, both calming and exhilarating at the same time, filling us with positivity.  And of course there is the adventure of the mountains themselves. 

    On the 1st of January we had a go at La Sierra Segaria, a jagged outcrop running East from inland, towards the Sea, then dropping to the plain just beyond the village.  The word"sierra" translates literally as "saw" and is an apt title for the sharp spine of rock. 

Such a climb cannot be accomplished quickly - especially if, like us, you have a tendency to stray from the path.  In many places we had to choose each hand and foothold carefully (you must be sure!) while not thinking too much about the hair-raising drop beside us - the thought of which zaps one with fear like the onset of some kind of powerful drug.

There's no problem, as long as you don't panic and allow fear to smother your thoughts.  It's not a secure feeling but it is possible - really, necessary - to relax.  It seems important to feel the fear there, in your mind, but not to let it overpower you; to master it.  Surely it's more fun than being totally without fear.  A good dose of adrenaline is probably healthy and certainly makes you feel alive!  Why else do people love roller-coasters?

We had no choice
but to come to terms
with all this while
halfway up a huge,
rugged ridge.

We are trying to take this acceptance of fear and insecurity with us into the rest of our lives.  They are a part of being alive and we must embrace them in order to grow.  If everything was totally certain then there could never be anything new.

Despite the feeling of insecurity we relaxed, perched on a rocky outcrop, and had a picnic in the sky.

"Don't call it uncertainty - call it wonder

  Don't call it insecurity - call it freedom"

       - Osho (The Joy of Living Dangerously)

"Fear and mortal terror are your friends, if not they are enemies to be feared."

       - Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz (Apocalypse Now)

"Don't Panic"

       - Douglas Adams (The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy)