Six weeks ago I began to hike. It was our 10 year wedding anniversary and we decided not to stray too far from home and ended up in Sedona. While I’d been there before, I hate to admit, I wasn’t as enthralled as so many had seemed to be. But we were going to be there for 8 days (thanks to my husband’s insistence), so I’d better make the most of it. As I searched for the perfect hike online, I found there were dozens of websites describing my Sedona surroundings with language such as, “dreamlike rock formations” and “surreal landscape”.
My body was not in the best of shape and my endurance for the desert sun was minimal, but again, with 8 days and a very eager husband, I knew I’d better make the best of it. Much to my surprise, I began to fall in love pretty quickly into our first hike. It was exquisite! There was such a variety of colors, textures, layers, sounds and smells all around me. Everywhere I looked was something to marvel at.
At times, the hikes seemingly pushed me beyond my limits. I wear one of those watches that inform me of my beats per minute (bpm). 140 was where it seemed to stress me. Within a few days, that increased to 155 before I would have to pause and it continued to increase. There were moments on those hikes where I just wanted them to be over, especially the later in the day it got. One day, we went for a supposed “moderate” hike, which for us seemed to be genuinely difficult. I was exhausted and feeling completely depleted. I thought to myself, I’m just going to stay here and a helicopter will have to come and get me. Once I pushed through those feelings of discomfort, I was to emerge elated. Grateful to my body for all the ways it supported me, thankful for my husband who, no matter how many times I needed to or wanted to stop, he never complained.
I learned a lot of lessons and that’s where OPRAH comes in. I realized that if I didn’t lament about how long and arduous a trail seemed, and if I just focused on where my feet were, I seemed to have greater endurance and struggled less. If I kept my focus on where I was, instead of being frightened by the mountain ahead of me, I was able to be successful. The funny thing is that as you climb, if you do stare at the climb ahead, the risk for injury is greater, you may turn an ankle, trip or even tumble. It was such an incredible metaphor for life. I didn’t have to take it all on at once, I just had to do what was in front of me. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with planning and envisioning the next steps, but it really is step by step. After a long day of going distances in terrain I’d never considered before, I had this sense of pride and appreciation for staying with it. A real sense of self satisfaction and gratitude. Living these lessons and applying them to my daily life, I can appreciate the idea of start where you stand, take it one step at a time and don’t give up. Just the other day I caught a recent video clip of OPRAH on YouTube. She apparently took up hiking this summer too and guess what, she had a similar experience and mentioned how she too was able to apply what she learned on the trails to her life.
Another lesson I learned was that at times I can be pretty closed minded which surprised me greatly. Here’s what I mean. Have you ever engaged with a child who refuses to try something new? I’ve heard our kids tell their kids, you’ve got to try. And while I have always thought of myself as an open minded individual, prior to this most recent trip to Sedona, my narrow mind would not see the spectacular beauty all around me. We know that Sedona certainly didn’t change, but I did. And I’m so glad. It got me wondering, where else in my life have I closed myself off from all the gifts around me, whether they be ordinary or extraordinary, because of what I think I know. Let me remember that next time I feel my mind slam shut and refuse to try.