The Spectacular View

A man and a woman loved each other very much, but neither one of them knew this yet. Early one morning they decided to climb a large mountain and from the top take in the spectacular view. The first stages of the climb were relatively easy and not too physically demanding, and each was enjoying the other's company. As they climbed higher up the mountain it became steeper and the climb more difficult. Both the man and woman agreed even though the climb may get hard they were going to make it to the top. They continued with each assisting the other through the tough spots. As the day wore on they got closer to their goal.

Within sight of the crest of the mountain they encountered a shear cliff rock face, their worst obstacle yet. They stood on its bottom edge trying to figure out a way to climb it. Feeling the effects of the climb upon her the woman decided to rest and sat down with her back to the cliff. Before her lay a spectacular view. Looking up at the man she said, "Sweetheart, come sit with me for a moment and take in this spectacular view." The man was in deep solving problem mode and just grunted. He was in deep thought trying to figure out a way up the cliff face.

Facing the woman the man said, "Look, I've figured out away to climb this cliff face. I'll take off my shoes and socks, and sticking my fingers and toes in the crevices, I'll edge myself up and when I get up there I'll reach down and pull you up. It may be a little painful, but I can do it." And proceeded to take off his shoes and socks.

The woman stood up and looked up at the shear cliff face before them, she then looked over the edge and saw how dangerous and far down it was. They'd come along way she thought to herself. Meanwhile the man had started to edge himself up the cliff face, got a few feet up, slipped, and fell back to the ledge, cursing quietly under his breath for he had hurt himself. The woman thinking to herself, "Nope, this is not going to work." Out of concern she grabbed him just as he was about to try it again and said, "Sweetheart, just hold on a minute here. Let's stop a minute and think this through. If you were to make it half way and slip you could fall to your death." The man said to her, "Don't worry I've got the hang of it now, I won't slip," and began to climb again.

The woman grabbed him a second time and said, "Look I'm serious, this is dangerous. Lets call it a climb, sit here, and take in this spectacular view together." The man looked at the woman and a little angrily said, "Look I can climb this thing, have a little faith in me." And again he started to climb. The woman getting a little angry herself grabbed the man a third time and said, "Listen to me will you, we didn't climb up here so that one of us could die. We came up here to take in the spectacular view together." Her voice softened and with tears swelling up in her eyes she then said, "All my life I've been waiting for the right man to come along, and I think it might be you. Your right there's the posibility that you can make it up, but there's also the posibility that you could fall to your death. If anything were to happen to you, I'd be terribly hurt, and I don't wish to live the rest of my life without you." Then mustering all the strength and courage she could she then said, "We either sit here and enjoy the view together, or we part company and I head back down alone?"

The man was stunned, he'd had never had a woman stand up to him like this before. He noticed the tears in her eyes and thought about what she had just done and said. All of a sudden he just realized something, the climb didn't matter, the view didn't matter, but what mattered the most to him was this woman standing before him. His eyes moistened as he looking into her eyes and said, "I'd be deeply hurt if anything were to happen to you, too." They then lovingly embraced each other.

There could have been a hundred different endings to this story. Fortunately for these two it was a happy one. A healthy and life-substaining relationship is one that brings out the best in the other. Pertaining to relationships, the following metaphor holds true, "Good wood makes for a good fire, bad wood..."

            Timothy E. Stevenson   1994© revised September/2014
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