It's not easy to climb a mountain.
As a child, I would follow my father up and down big hills when we would go hiking in order to get to mines where rocks and minerals could be found if you searched in the right places. He would set a steady pace, and I would follow along. Some climbs took a long time, and I thought we would never get to the place where we could stop and look. But it was always worth the effort when I found an amethyst crystal or a watermelon tourmaline.
Later, as a teacher, I chaperoned teens going on a hike up Mount Adams in New Hampshire, in the spring of the year. There was snow on the trail. It was 8 miles to the cabin where we would stay for the night. We were carrying backpacks weighing about 30 pounds. It took most of the day to hike that mountain trail--plodding along, tired, and hoping it wasn't much further to the cabin. It was worth all the effort when we reached the cabin and found it safe and warm and comfortable.
Several years ago, I decided to hike a trail that was about a mile and a half, one way. I was having leg pain at the time and didn't realize that this trail was up a hill. By the time I realized what the trail was like, I was in pain and out of breath; but I was too stubborn to turn back. I climbed and sat down to rest over and over. Eventually, I got to the end---and, oh! what a grand view it was! It was definitely worth the trip and all the pain.
In my efforts to lose weight, eat correctly, and get my exercise, it's like climbing a mountain. It takes a long time. It's painful. The burden seems too heavy, and I am tired of it. But I must keep putting one foot ahead of the other, and I know that eventually I will reach the top of the mountain. It will be worth every effort I put into it. I can't wait to see the view!