How I spent my summer vacation, 2011

I have recently come home from a series of travels. To New York City, to Chicago, and most recently, to a town near Banff, Alberta, where I spent a week hiking in the mountains. The latter was an incredible experience. Not just because I saw amazing vistas, stumbled upon fantastic wildlife, and spent time with my boyfriend and my father, but I faced a fear that I rarely come into contact with: a fear of heights. It’s not a fear that I come face to face with on a frequent basis, because I’m okay as long as I have something to orient me or give me balance, and a sense of security. I’m fine, for example, indoor rock climbing, and I can lie on the glass floor of the CN Tower no problem. I’ve walked along Capilano bridge quite happily, ridden the gondola in Whistler mountain, and flown countless times, while gazing thoughtfully at the view below. Being on the top of a mountain, however, where the terrain turns to scrambly shale, and the trees disappear, and you are suddenly surrounded by nothing but mountain tops and air, well, I start to lose it. Almost. On this trip I managed to keep going and climb some very high mountains, only because I had three excellent coaches - my dad, my boyfriend, and myself. The positive self-talk was out in full force, to keep me from completely panicking, and to help gain control of my mind - and heart.  This experience made me realize how much I’ve learned in the past couple of months, not just about positive self talk, but also about breathing practices and ways of controlling anxiety. It’s a pretty great feeling to realize that you can face a fear, and keep it under control, even when what your body really wants to do is just totally freak out.

This is one of many experiences I had this summer that I wish to reflect on now. I’ve eaten some fantastic food, I’ve explored some fascinating cities, and I’ve been shown real generosity from friends and family as I celebrated my 30th birthday. It’s been somewhat of a whirlwind, and now I want to slow down - a little, at least - to reflect on each of these experiences, and consider what I’ve learned, and what they mean to me. It needs a bit of processing, a shuffling of the interpretations of experiences around in my mind. Because as I’ve preached many times, if we let these experiences blow past us without special attention, we miss the real magnitude of what’s happening.

I’ve learned a few lessons from my travels, and from turning 30. I also have a few goals for the year ahead. I hope to share them with you.

I must admit, I’ve considered shutting down the blog, based on how often I blog now. I’ve wondered if it’s worth it to keep the blog up and running. I think I’ll leave it up a little longer.

Update on Hawaii

Wanted to share an update with you all - I am home safe and sound and enjoyed a truly wonderful trip with my sister to Hawaii. It was an amazing experience and I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to take this journey. Hawaii is an incredibly beautiful place. Although we barely scratched the surface of what there is to do and see, we were wowed by the beauty and cultural diversity of this state. It is somewhere I’d like to return.

We aimed to strike a balance between adventure and relaxation and I think we accomplished exactly that. We stayed in Waikiki, which as most people know, is a busy, bustling tourist resort town, a popular place for Japanese visitors. Despite the bustling nature of the town, it maintains a relaxed Hawaiian vibe. We spent part of our time in Waikiki and part of our time driving around the island of O’ahu, going for long hikes and exploring different beaches (each one is different from the next). Mornings were usually spent with a walk on the beach, a good Hawaiian coffee, a leisurely breakfast, and then we would be off to tour around the island, spending a good portion of the day in the arboretum, a tropical rainforest, a vintage shop, or on an almost deserted white sand beach - a piece of paradise.  Then in the late afternoon we would return to our hotel room, shower, and get ready for a great meal out - usually Japanese or Hawaiian food.

True, Hawaii is expensive to get to and it’s a very long flight indeed, but all of the time and money we invested into the trip was entirely worth it.  Interesting trips last forever in your memory and, in fact, they can enrich your life and even change who you are when you leave. I think back to the month-long backpacking trip I took ten years ago with my sister across Canada. We learned so much about ourselves, about our country, and about what it means to travel and get by in this country without a residence, a car, or much money. That trip has always stayed with us.  Similarly, the time I spent with my sister on this trip is invaluable to me, and I’m sure it will only deepen as the years past.

My sister helped to navigate while I drove in an unfamiliar place, she coached me into the water as I, terrified of having my face under water, put on snorkel gear (with her help I actually managed to snorkel despite my anxiety), and we made priceless memories of creating our own “cocktail hour” in our hotel room before going out at night, and dancing to Prince or the Backstreet Boys on the radio.

Some women like to buy expensive Prada bags. But like my sister said after the trip, “I’d take this over a closet full of designer clothes ANY day.”