I'm not sold on astrology but I'll cop to one thing: I'm a Capricorn and I'm truly a goat.
I'm stubborn and will eat almost anything and, most of all, I like to be on top of things. Yes, "on top of things" as in organized and up-to-date, but also literally.
Beachy Head, East Sussex, England
I know exactly where I got this proclivity: My father. He was a mountaineer with first ascents in the Alps. I haven't taken up technical climbing (although my daughter has), but I do like summits.
My father defying gravity.
His idea of courtship was dragging my mother up a mountain. It worked.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a peak-bagger--someone who collects summits. I don't keep track of the mountains I climb; I just love being on them.
Luckily, my best friend feels the same way.
He doesn't like venturing as close to the edge as I do, though, which means I'm the one in charge of cleaning out the gutters.
It's funny, isn't it? We inherit so much from our parents, through nature and through nurture, but it can be a funny little quirk that ends up meaning so much. Mountains speak to me, as they did to my father, and living in Virginia, where I can see the Blue Ridge Mountains every day, is paradise.
Wherever you are, I hope you enjoy the view. And don't worry about the edge. That's where you can see the best.
