“there.”

We rushed up to the mountains after school on Friday afternoon to try and catch a sunset hike. The kids get out at 3, it’s a two hour drive, and we still had to load the car, grab snacks, and go. It was the end of a long week, but somehow, we were still looking forward to it. That’s the thing about chasing light. You know it’s fleeting, but you go anyway.

As we approached Lake Placid, I realized there was no way we’d make it to the mountain we originally planned. The sun was already dipping low, and we’d never reach the summit in time. So, we pivoted instantly, switched plans to a smaller, familiar peak we’d done many times before.

My wife, my son, and I hit the trailhead, headlamps in the pack, snacks forgotten in the car, and started hustling. Twenty eight minutes later, no breaks, no water stops, just a steady drive to beat the fading light until we broke through the trees to the summit.

That’s when my son stopped dead in his tracks, looked out across the High Peaks glowing in the last light of day, and said one word:

“There.”

He pointed straight ahead, his face lit by that golden moment part sun, part moon, all wonder.

I stood there behind him, catching my breath, and thought about how simple that was. No hesitation. No second guessing. Just clarity. He knew what he wanted to see, and he went for it.

That moment stuck with me. It reminded me how often we complicate the climb, how we plan, prepare, and overthink and how sometimes, you just need to pick your direction and move.

That’s exactly how Forge & Freedom began. After a decade of ideas and notebooks full of business plans, financial forecasts, and logos, I finally stopped planning and started doing. It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t polished but it was mine.

Maybe that’s what my son was teaching me on that mountain. That sometimes, the best things happen when you stop chasing perfection and just start moving toward “there.”

Here’s to the pivots, the imperfect plans, and the sunsets we almost miss, but make anyway.

Your Turn: What is your "There?"

From the Forge,

Zachary