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Becca Lawton's avatar

I loved reading this, Tom! Love the personal history, the turning away from in fear yet never forgetting the mountains and how big a role they play in life and work. The mountain demon is truly frightening, but how cool to face her down and own the wild that’s really part of us — our source of inspiration and creation.

Thomas Wharton's avatar

Thanks Becca, I love the way you’ve characterized the mountain demon.

Neil Kirkwood's avatar

Thanks for this, Thomas. I have lived with the mountains for a long while, although, like you, I now don’t live in the mountains.

Ksenia Chi's avatar

Beautiful speech! My rebirth after a difficult period in my life happened when I saw a mountain with a glacier in New Zealand, Earnslaw glacier in the Earnslaw Burn. It's a day hike. You walk in a forest along the burn for a very long time. Then, exhausted, at last, you come to an opening, to a valley with waterfalls and a marsh, with the glacier in s distance. I can't describe my feelings, but I think it was a peak experience according to Abraham Maslow. Suddenly all the pain became nonexistent, unimportant. Only the mountain stayed: so beautiful, and close, and distant, and grand. Everything turned around in me, and I became as i knew myself before the tough period in my life ❤️‍🩹❤️ suddenly healed 🤷‍♀️

Thomas Wharton's avatar

That la a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing it, Ksenia.

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Jan 24
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Thomas Wharton's avatar

Thanks, I’m happy to hear the piece resonated with you.