Have you ever stood atop a mountain and looked down at the little cars and people minding their own business below? Have you ever climbed four miles to the summit and felt the cool breeze and nervously hoped you wouldn't get blown away?

I hadn't been able to do that until this summer. We were two people trying to figure out life and moving along with it. Perhaps getting to the top of those three mountains was the best thing I could have done for myself. It's quiet up there. Aside from other hikers trying to accomplish the same goal, the only thing that I could hear was the whooshing sound of the wind and the whipping of my hair around my face, sometimes a faint waterfall in the distance.

How many times a day do I take deep inhales and exhales and thank the universe that I was given this body and this mind? Not many. When I was looking down at the miniature buildings and people, I felt like I had put things in a new perspective, not just literally. The world is so big and I am just one tiny person. Why did it feel like there's a bigger plan for me than just existing?

Barely six months ago my life was consumed by work, friends, school, partying... things that every young adult experiences. Today, I'm days away from officially being twenty-three and all I can think is that over the course of one year, I've figured out life a little bit more and am actually looking forward to another journey of 365 days around the sun... more lessons to learn and more mountains to climb.