The Summit

I did it, oh my God I did it.

Phew, that was hard. I’m gonna have to sit down, my legs are jelly. I’ve brought my phone with me and now I’m gonna call them all, I might send a picture, yes I should do that shouldn’t I, The View from the Top. I’m gonna call Steve first, then Millie – ha ha Millie she won’t believe me and then my mum, I bet she cries, well why not, I’m crying myself. I did it!

I didn’t think it would be easy but I wasn’t prepared for quite how tough it was. There were a few times I nearly gave up but I just kept in mind all that stuff I read in the mountaineering books. They say you shouldn’t look up, that if you look up the task can be overwhelming and so you should just look in front, watch each step and know it’s one more that you don’t have to take again and it’s true, that’s what I did.

This morning I nearly backed out. I had a hard day yesterday, quite a few goals reached of course but this one, this last slog still there like a spectre leering at me, waiting for me to fail, well HA see I didn’t fail did I.

About half way I thought I was going to pass out and then I was afraid. Just before I started the climb I was afraid but that was little fear because I was still on the level then but yes, halfway up and I got dizzy and my heart started to pound and for just a little while I couldn’t breathe. Most of all at that point I just thought of everyone’s reaction if I didn’t make it. They would sigh, they would shake their heads and touch my arm in that way that they have and tell me it didn’t matter, but oh it mattered, it mattered so very much.

Anyway the dizziness past and I felt stronger for sticking with it, I did look up though at that point and d’ya know what, the books are right, my God it looked a long way still to go. I gritted my teeth and I told myself “Come on, onward and upward” and I fixed my eyes in front of me and pushed forward and off I went again.

Hee he, I did it.

Isn’t life funny, I am sitting here with a grin as wide as a mile on my face all excited and before I had the stroke I ran up the stairs dozens of times a day and never even thought that one day the view from the top, looking down on my faded pink stair carpet and the glass in the front door would be such an achievement.

Now then, Steve, He won’t believe me, bet he gets cross ‘cos I did it on my own. I don’t care I did it.