Monday, Monday, Monday Part 3

Benbulben

Its a grand ole site from sea level, the views from atop are suppose to be savage, and my body was craving any sort of physical activity I could feed it - so I figured a little stroll up Mnt. Benbulben would make for pleasant evening. Finding the starting point was a little tricky as what should have took 10 minutes took me about an hour and a half in the sporty Toyota Yaris, but the sun was shining and getting lost in the foothills of the West Irish coast isn´t a bad gig in itself. Regret began sinking in a bit right at the start of the climb, as the sun lost its luster under the cover of some fairly nasty clouds. The optimist in me said that they were no big deal, so I trotted onward grabbing glances here and there back at the coast which unfolded behind me. The first rain-hale-snow mix came in quick and caught me a bit off guard, but only lasted 2-3 minutes. You´d think the next 5-6 wintery downfalls that followed it would be enough call it a day, but it was actually pretty cool trudging on through them. I was getting the total package as first the wind would pick up and those treacherous dark clouds would rush to the piste of Benbulben, the hale was usually next, followed by a nice snowy-rain conglomeration lasting no more than 5 minutes at a time, after which that blazing Irish sunset would force its way back to view. The full range of weather conditions repeated over and over again was such a strange phenomenon to me that I couldn´t help but to soak it all up - both literally and figuratively. From the top you could easily spot the menacing cloud clusters flying in off the Atlantic and continue on past with no sign of slowing down; while in the distance the sun nonchalantly painted an awe-inspiring sunset as it thrusted brilliant rays through the oncoming clouds in varying directions. Its too bad because it doesn´t seem to happen too often these days, but as I stood there quietly - all by my lonesome for the first time since leaving home - all my worries seemed to fade away. All those feelings of anxiety, stress, nervousness, regret, obligation, and fear that have the tendency to lurk on the edge of conscienceness and weigh down our daily lives completely fell off the top of that peak. It had been a one hellova great Monday, and right there, in that moment, I felt completely content with my time and place in the world.

"I climbed up a tree that night
I sat up in the branches and I felt like a bird
It was the best feeling in the world"
-Keller Williams