Have you ever heard the children’s song The Bear Went Over the Mountain?

We used to sing it at summer camp when we would walk with all of the little kids to the park.  The bear climbed over the mountain…the bear climbed over the mountain…the bear climbed over the mountain…to see what he could see.  And what do you think he saw?  He saw another mountain…he saw another mountain…he saw another mountain…and what do you think he did?  The bear climbed over the mountain…the bear climbed over the mountain…the bear climbed over the mountain…to see what he could see…and so on and so on and so on.  I always remember getting to the park and wishing – by the end – that I was actually in a plane headed for the side of that mountain!

When I was in Toronto at the beginning of the month, I had the very indulgent privilege of spending some time with my beautiful cousin whom I’ve seen far too little of over the past few years.  The two of us went out for dinner…sat down to chat…and before we knew it, nearly three and a half hours had past.  As the night went on, we found ourselves talking about life…goals…and the many plans that we each have for our lives.  And while the conversation was amazing, it didn’t take long for us to notice that our list of goals – just like the song – went on and on and on.  “We have the bear and the mountain syndrome”, I told my cousin with a slight shrug of my shoulders.  “Totally!”, she replied.  We then proceeded to stop talking about our goals for a bit and instead, ordered a much needed chocolate brownie sundae!

Don’t we all know how easy it is to become the bear; constantly climbing…constantly striving…constantly achieving…only to see the next goal.  And why should we know any different?  No where do we ever hear about the bear just stopping for a moment, cracking open a beer and taking a load off.  It’s just not part of the song!  So we keep on going.  We keep on setting goals, one after another, always in forward motion, without looking back and savouring the accomplishment of the mountain we’ve just climbed.

I don’t want to be like this.  And what better time to change than now?

Don’t get me wrong…I enjoy tackling the mountain.  I’ve never turned away from hard work and in turn, have found myself among some of the most gratifying results.  But, here’s the thing…if all you do is climb and climb and climb…then you just find yourself always among rough terrain with sore muscles and forgetting why you started it all in the first place.  And forgetting why you started is perhaps the very death of the entire journey all together.

So, in honour of the bear in me and the mountains that I’ve climbed this past year…I’m choosing to pull up a chair, sit back and take a moment to acknowledge how far I’ve come…how much I’ve climbed…and what the adventure has looked like along the way.

After many hours of sorting and reflecting…here’s just a taste of what 2011 has been able to offer.  Footprints – if you will – from a very long trek!

Because, let’s face it, what’s the point in even climbing a mountain if you’re not going to stop to enjoy the view?