When life gives you lemons

When life gives you lemons… 2020 has been the most bizarre year of my life. That’s not to say I haven’t had unpleasant years before. There have been years I care to forget, but with a pandemic to muddy the waters, I’ve never seen anything like this year.

I refuse to let this year steal my joy. As hard as it’s been, I choose to be happy. I truly believe that if you surround yourself with positivity, it’s much easier to be positive, grateful, and thankful.

So last weekend, my best friend and I decided to take a weekend getaway. It was just what the doctor ordered.

We started our trip out on Thursday morning. We were on no schedule, other than I wanted to be at our destination by dark. (I’m becoming my mother!) We had about a six-hour drive ahead of us and we had to stop at the outfitters outside Zion to get our gear before 6:00 p.m..  We made a quick pitstop to have lunch with my husband in Las Vegas and then we were back on the road. After leaving Vegas, we were approximately 2 hours from our destination of Springdale, Utah. Our beautiful hotel was a couple miles from the Zion National Park entrance.

As we drove into the town of Springdale, we were in awe of the beautiful buttes and colors all around us. We immediately felt a sense of relaxation. The energy from the earth was profound. (Both My friend and I work full time jobs and work long days. So, getting away from our daily routines was much needed.)

We had to stop at the end of town in Springdale and pick up our waders, hiking boots and water socks, as we were hiking “the Narrows” the next morning. The Narrows is a hiking trail in Zion which is made up mostly of river. Neither of us have ever attempted anything like it. We both love to hike, but we have never tried anything so challenging.

The next morning, we woke up early to be on the shuttle bus by 7 a.m. We were super excited but a little anxious too. I was tired because I didn’t sleep that well the night before.  We really didn’t know what to expect. We had spoken with people who had done it before, but they were a lot younger and in better shape than us.

As we got out of the shuttle, my backpack water drinking tube had apparently leaked out all over the seat! I was down to half my water supply right out of the gate! I should have been worried, but I wasn’t because I knew my friend had 3 times the amount of water I did. If I ran out, surely she would share. And she did. I had the snacks; she had the water! lol

As soon as we started up the trail we were in awe of all the beautiful leaves on the pathway. Absolutely breathtaking. We spent a decent amount of time just admiring the trees and bushes all around us. We weren’t even 100 feet up the trail yet when we stopped! Lol  

What was perfect about this moment is that it was perfectly quiet. No one was on the trail with us. Just us and all the beauty. Fall is the most beautiful season in Zion. The vivid colors along with the cool breeze was euphoric. We couldn’t have been in a more perfect place at that moment. Pure Bliss.

We decided it was best to get moving if we wanted to get back for our shuttle in 6 hours. We had a lot of ground to cover.

Hiking up the Riverside Walk Trail, we couldn’t stop commenting on the beauty. The River was below us and the rock formations and foliage were all around us. When we would see people, we would say good morning and the joy was apparent in everyone’s eyes, including ours.

When we reached the end of the trail and the river began, I was beside myself. Could I do this? How far was I really going to make it? As we stepped into the water it was a peculiar feeling. I wasn’t wet, but I could feel the water. We started off being up to our ankles in water, but before too long, we were up to our waist in water. Eeek! At this point, we were so happy that we had rented the water gear, because we saw several people turning around saying they were freezing!

We continued to hike up the river, taking lots of pictures but still managing to stay in the moment. It’s absolutely amazing how beautiful this part of the country is.

I guess it was the adrenaline, but I felt like I could have hiked forever. My girlfriend had to call it quits. She reminded me that we still had to hike all the way back down the river and the trail. She was right, it was time to go.

The way down was just as stunning. A different perspective if you will. The way the sun reflected off the rocks was brighter going this way. It looked like a completely different trail on the way down, but it was the same! I couldn’t help but think at this moment about perspective. It was the same hike, just two ways to look at it.  

As we came around the last curve of the trail it was bittersweet. I didn’t want it to end, but I was so satisfied for finishing it. Not bad for two post menopausal women!

We sat for a few minutes waiting for our shuttle, starting to feel the exhaustion setting in. By this time, it was afternoon and the trail was getting crowded. We were so thankful for going on the earliest shuttle, because we got to see it in all its beauty without all the tourists. (thank you Dakota)

After the hike we returned our gear, and we then went to get something to eat. We were exhausted, hungry, and coming down from an unbelievable high. It was so relaxing. We ate and basically melted into our seats. I could have sat there for hours. The wind was softly blowing all around us. It was perfect.

The day wasn’t over yet! We went back to our hotel room, opened a bottle of champagne, and celebrated our successful hike!

Now here’s where you might think you know what happened next.  Maybe go out for a drink to celebrate? Nope! We did what made us happy. We each took a bath, got into our pajamas, and got into our beds! It was 6:00! We turned on the Hallmark channel and we talked and laughed until we both fell asleep.

I slept 9 hours that night. 9 hours? I never sleep 9 hours!

The next two days were equally exceptional. No expectations. We went on another hike, got caught in the rain, shared a piece of apple pie, and shopped at local shops. It was picture-perfect.

I want to encourage you during this time to make lemonade.  Change your perspective. Do what you can. Grab a friend and get away. You don’t have to go far. You could just go overnight somewhere local. Support small businesses and hotels. Be courteous, be safe, and enjoy yourself.  Laughter is the best medicine! Being with my best friend was priceless.

So when life gives you lemons, go on, do it, Make Lemonade!

Be kind,

Diana