The View From The Top

I have read numerous articles about multiple pregnancies and the physical toll it takes on a woman's body, and yet until recently, I didn't really get it. I've been so blessed to have felt pretty good thus far. However, the journey is getting tougher, and I'm getting tired. One triplet mom commented that it was much easier to deal with the discomforts of pregnancy than the heartache of having sick children in the NICU. I have no doubt that is true. But at 4:00 this morning, I would have prefered to not be pregnant. Just being honest. When I get like this, there is a moment in my past that I draw on that keeps me going - let me explain.

When I first moved to SC after graduation, my dad and I would get up early on Saturday mornings and go hiking in the mountains. We always had such a great time, and I always looked forward to it! One Saturday we were feeling especially ambitious and decided to try a hike that was much more difficult than we had done in the past. Long story short, I was tired. As we neared the peak, I just knew I wasn't going to make it, and I fell behind. I swear my lungs were going to explode and there was NO WAY my legs were going to make it another step. That's when I heard him say, "Wow - hurry and get up here, the view from the top is amazing". I told him I couldn't make it. Big mistake. Now this could have been one of those heroic moments where a father reaches down and lifts up his daughter and carries her to the top, but not in this fairy tale darlin'. He just looked at me and said, "you have GOT to be kidding me! Get your rear end (PG edited) up here right now"!! Somehow I mustered up the energy for the last 5 steps - did I mention I was only 5 steps from the top? He was SO right. The view WAS amazing. Unforgettable, actually.

By the time we got home, I was feeling good and had put my little "wimp out" moment behind me. But not my dad. As soon as we walked in the door he did a play-by-play for anyone that would listen! That moment became a family joke for many years, and I was the butt of it! It was inconceivable to him that someone could actually quit five steps from the pinnacle. I WAS TIRED, DARN IT!!!!!

So today, I am tired. But each day brings me one step closer to the top. Thanks to that moment on the mountain with my dad, I KNOW I can do this. And when I do, the view from the top will be amazing. Unforgettable, actually.