So here I am with four years into it

my self imposed daily writing challenge

I thought it was time to check in on myself

see how its gone so far and what I have learned 

daily writing is like climbing a mountain every single day

only to wake up the next morning at the bottom

to be told I must take a totally new path to the top

although it gets harder I do get stronger

as I take each tiny step another word appears

then a line and a paragraph and some more

until the page is full and I pause to take a breath

reading it back to myself to see how it flows

at this point I am never at the summit

just at base camp editing where the climbing gets really steep

words fall off cliffs and into precipices  

blank spaces gasp for oxygen in the thin mountain air

I find new edits as I climb up higher and higher

having used up my reserves of stored thoughts

I must dig deeper inside my mind to find more words

some days its an easy raid into my memory banks

but then there are days when the banks are not open 

I can always look through the window and take a mental picture

to be converted into words about what I can see outside

other days I go knocking on the door of my emotions

saying hey guys please tell me how you are feeling today

occasionally I will slip while climbing

sliding back down the path and losing many precious words

I watch them tumble down the mountainside into oblivion

oh well, they were not great words anyway

when the word climbing gets really tough I can become desperate

begging my soul to open up and offer me a few phrases

if my soul is unresponsive I ask my heart to deliver a message

he never fails to produce the most beautiful meaningful words

the finished page is now a long way from camp editing

I have reached the summit and can take in the view

a few clicks and today’s writing is uploaded to Cheeky Monkey

I feel blessed to be at the top of this mountain right now

tomorrow’s starting blank page is a long way off