Pokhara, Nepal. While preparing for the trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary, I've been doing moderately difficult day hikes in the mountains around Pokhara. Day 1 was a wake-up call: "Am I really going to be able to do this?" Day 2: "Oh no.....do I ache today!" Day 3: "This isn't so bad." Day 4: "I'm feeling the benefit of these day hikes.....it's getting easier."
Between hikes, I've been reading Peter Hessler's second book about China, Oracle Bones, in which he writes about Beijing's preparation for the 2008 Olympics. Hessler describes how Chinese athletes, trained to be highly competetive and nationalistic, play only to win. Spectators expect the team to win and offer no appreciation for individual effort. Hessler goes on to contrast his own adolescent experiences with sports, reflecting on his father's coaching him in athletics. He writes, "His lessons were always counter-intuitive: the final goal is not victory but self-improvement."
Following Hessler's father's counter-intuitive lesson, I really have nothing to accomplish here -- only to remain in the moment, not focusing on a goal of reaching any particular altitude, but simply enjoying the experience. And I'm already doing that!
No comments:
Post a Comment