Wisdom at Work

In many respects, it looks like the rest of the country, same roads, cars, houses, hills and mountains. But it's not. It's bigger, wider, grander. I'm changed. My sense of self is bigger, deeper, grander. The Mountain, Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley is emblematic. As we approached it from the south we saw many mountians, some 10,000 - 12,000 feet tall. "Which is Denali?" we asked. "It's not out. You can't see it." "But there are mountains everywhere and the clouds are behind them. Which is Denali?" "It's not out yet." The Great Room at the Lodge has rows of chairs facing the two story window thru which we are to see Denali. The mountains are even more impressive from here. "Which is Denali?" It's not out yet. "Where do we look? When will it come out?" It comes out of the clouds, nobody knows when. "When was the last time anybody saw it?" Ten days ago. "What are we doing here, then?" There was lot's to do, sitting there scanning, watching and waiting for The Mountain seemed a waste of time. Yet everybody said it was worthwhile. An hour later, when It emerged, I knew they were right. Snow capped, with one peak rounded and the other sharp, I'd been staring at it for a few minutes, before I realized it wasn't a cloud. Unbelievable! It simply dwarfed the other "mountains." 23,000 feet. "There it is!" I shouted, the first of the 30 or so people watching to see it. As the others saw it, they applauded, soon, the whole room was applauding. We are like Denali, you and I. Except we have to look within, not without. Greatness is there inside, waiting to emerge and fill our lives. We don't have to put it there, struggle and work. It's there already, God-given. With faith, nurturing work and applause when it emerges, we can have more of it in our everyday lives.