Life’s Golden Thread
The other day, while updating my personal website, I read my own writing, a story I’d written years ago about a climbing expedition I went on at 19. Typically, once I write something, I don’t feel the need to revisit it—I’ve already let it go. But this time, I found myself reading about that climb up one of the world’s highest mountains, remembering the feeling of excitement and a hint of fear yet also feeling invincible, as only a 19-year-old can. That was more than 20 years ago.
At the time, I thought my story was going to be about reaching the summit and coming back to tell it. But life had other plans. On my way down alone near the summit, I found a man lying in the snow, lost and in serious trouble. This was the beginning of one of the most impactful experiences of my life. With the expedition in my life’s rearview mirror, it hit me: all my training, my preparation, and my journey wasn’t actually about reaching the top. It was about that moment, about being there to help the other climber—to save his life. That experience showed me just how fragile and small we are in this massive world and sparked a realization: maybe life has a “golden thread” that connects it all, leading us exactly where we need to be.
In hindsight, everything in life seems to connect. I can see there’s a golden thread running through it all. It makes me wonder if the challenge isn’t about reaching the destination but finding the perfection of each unfolding moment right now, not just looking back. It can be easier to see life’s perfection in the rearview mirror, but we don’t have to wait for the future to see perfection in the moment we are living.
Reading that story made me remember how alive that experience felt—how adventurous it was and how life itself is an adventure. Yet, it’s so easy to become comfortable, to put off the urge to push ourselves, telling ourselves we’ll make a change in the future. Right now, we’re just too busy. We fall into routines, and before we know it, life can feel stagnant, lacking that sense of impact, meaning, or purpose.
But maybe it’s not even about changing what we’re doing. Maybe it’s about shifting our perspective to appreciate what we’re already doing. Realizing that right now, where we are, is where we’re supposed to be. We can’t change the fact that this very moment, as simple as it may seem, is the most valuable place in time. We can make choices and take actions for tomorrow, but the miracle of life is happening right here, right now. Isn’t that amazing?
I can see this “golden thread” running through my own life, guiding me toward these moments, even if I didn’t recognize it at the time. And it makes me wonder: what golden threads are leading us now, if we’re willing to notice?
I’d like to believe that when we embrace unexpected opportunities, even if they look different than we’d imagined, this golden thread may just lead us on the greatest adventure of our lives.
