The Chief

189 Marbles

    My kids are off with Ex-man for a few days at another lake with friends and I’m really missing them.  I’m trying to keep myself busy, doing fun things like going to movies in the park, watching the firework festival, and catching up on some writing. Yesterday I went on a hike up "The Chief" – a granite dome rising 700 metres above a local town.  I went with a yogi friend from work and we had an amazing day.  The hike was somewhat challenging, but I have been hiking regularly so I was prepared. More importantly, the hike was astoundingly beautiful.
    As we started hiking, I asked my friend, “Is the view from the top amazing?”  She answered, “The view is amazing now.” As I looked around me, I knew she was right.  Why am I so goal oriented?  What would it take for me to enjoy the moments en route? 
     Halfway up, we stopped at a helicopter landing pad with an expansive view of a lush valley of trees.  We ate fresh raspberries from my garden and local cherries and we watched the pits bounce down the steep granite escarpment. 
    The view from the top was incredible – kite sailors on the water below, the local town, snow-topped mountains in the distance.  We lay on the warm granite and relaxed as chipmunks and chickadees came by for a visit.  There was no rush as there were no kids to get home to - it was luxuriously languid. 
    The descending part was a little more challenging (I prefer climbing) but my yogi friend reminded me to have fun with it as we used the chains to swing down the steeper parts of the trail.  When we reached the bottom we were hot and sweaty so we found a little lake with refreshingly cool water to go for a dip on our way back to the city.  After our swim, we warmed ourselves by the lake and as I sat with the sunshine reflected off the water, I said to my friend, “You know the best part of this moment?” “What?” she asked.  “That there are no words to describe how amazing this feels right now.” Words pale in comparison to the experience in 3-d.  Yesterday reminded me that sometimes the summit is not the only destination.  Be-ing is the only goal.

What would it take for you to squeeze more juicy moments out of life?