Portrait 31: From rock bottom to mountaintops

Last week, I summited Katahdin. I finished the Appalachian Trail. I am a Triple Crowner. But I am not proud of those things; I am enormously grateful for them.
After an abusive marriage, I allowed myself to hit rock bottom, and even embraced the depression. Now, I’ve allowed myself to reach fantastic heights. I didn’t start out with lofty goals. I just started. The achievements came because, for the first time in my life, I allowed myself to flourish.

I was once terrified of interacting with people, but now I have friends all over the world. I was bedridden with anxiety, but now traverse the wilderness. I was a beaten, broken, drunk on the verge of suicide. I have come from rock bottom but now stand atop mountains. These are the achievements that make me proud.
I did summit a famous mountain. But there will always be mountains in life, and I will always keep climbing them.