We make little decisions every day that can have a profound impact on our lives. We choose where to work and where to play, where to spend our money, who to spend our time with. Lately I've been really trying to focus on these little decisions, and I decided (among other things) that I haven't been enjoying enough of my surroundings lately. So last night, over tea, my roommate and I devised a plan for an early morning hike before we both retired for the evening.
The hike started with a 30-minute drive up a few rough gravel switchbacks, knocking over an hour of hiking off the day and letting us get to the "good stuff" faster. As we entered the trail and followed the river up (not entirely sure of where we were going) I was blown away by the wildflowers. They lined both sides of the trail in every shape and color, unlike anything I've seen before.
We continued to climb until we came to a fork in the trail. Decisions like these are something I usually ponder and stress about for much longer than necessary (a metaphor for life, no doubt) but the roomie pulled me through with logical statements about how its not worth pondering because thinking longer will not produce more knowledge than we already have (wise words that I should remember next time I come to one of these metaphorical decision points). So we went left....the trial continued its switchbacks upward...and we continued to ponder life and gasp for oxygen.
As the trail popped up into a high alpine basin I began to doubt that the end result would be the lake we'd been looking for. But we persevered and were rewarded with this:
Still unsure if we had reached the lake we were trying to get to, I wondered about the potential of there being a more beautiful scene had we just taken a different route.....made a different decision at the fork in the trail.
Imagine, staring at this clear, blue water....surrounded by mountains....having just hiked through more wildflowers than you have seen in your life....and still wondering if you're missing out on something better. It makes no sense. And yet, this is what I do. I doubt. I question. I over-think.
And so, on the decent, I worked to make myself appreciate this day for what it was -- an amazing day, shared with a great friend, in a beautiful place that I was lucky enough to be able to experience -- even if it turned out to not be the lake we had originally set out to find, life is about the journey....and this little journey was beautiful. The end destination is never a guarantee anyway, we might get lost, or stuck, and sometimes even when we get to where we think we want to go, its nothing like what we thought it would be. So its best to have enjoyed the getting there.
Imagine, staring at this clear, blue water....surrounded by mountains....having just hiked through more wildflowers than you have seen in your life....and still wondering if you're missing out on something better. It makes no sense. And yet, this is what I do. I doubt. I question. I over-think.
And so, on the decent, I worked to make myself appreciate this day for what it was -- an amazing day, shared with a great friend, in a beautiful place that I was lucky enough to be able to experience -- even if it turned out to not be the lake we had originally set out to find, life is about the journey....and this little journey was beautiful. The end destination is never a guarantee anyway, we might get lost, or stuck, and sometimes even when we get to where we think we want to go, its nothing like what we thought it would be. So its best to have enjoyed the getting there.
1 comment:
ah the metaphor for life found in one activity in one day! So true my friend so true. Enjoy the journey... you are on a good path.. regardless of WHERE it leads you. Once it leads you to THAT place there will be yet another path to follow to the next... so don't sweat it!
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