This one might be best read with this CD playing in the background…
I’m a Mountain Climber (of sorts)
I keep this picture of me on my bookshelf here are the office; not because I’m the greatest looking cur you’ve ever met, but be cause of what it says. It was taken in oh, 1998 or thereabouts, of me standing at the foot of Croagh Patrick (Cruach Phádraig) after my descent… descent from the summit.
At 2,510 ft, it’s not the highest summit in Ireland, but it’s the highest one I’ve ever climbed. That makes me a mountain climber (of sorts).
I realized today that whenever I’m on a less-than-easy sales or consultation call, I find myself staring at this photo thinking “I climbed that mountain, this call will be cake.” If you ever find yourself on the phone with me when I’m in the studio, this is what I’ll be looking at, at some point during the conversation.
A funny aside: Once my buddy Dave (who took the picture) and I reached the top, there were a number of our fellow climbers outside the church at the summit. I see a friendly countryman coming towards us, and he says (with his Connemara accent):
“So you’re Americans?”
“Yup.”
“You know they say any Irishman who climbs Croagh Patrick is guaranteed a place in heaven?”
“Uhh, I suppose.”
“It goes twice for Americans.”
Gotta love the Irish.
