Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Restoration in the Rockies

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
~Sir Edmund Hillary
1919- 2008


The sight of mountains rising high into the clouds of heaven points my mind on a journey to inner peace. The sound of water  rising from an unseen source past the horizon tickles my curiosity over the rock filled stream bed into a state of wonderment.



The sight of trees, which as little seedlings broke through rocks, assures me that God provides the least of us with great potential to break through any barrier.



A loved one suggested I take some needed time away from the everyday. Journey up to a  place where I could pray and reflect. Get my priorities in order.  Take stock.

 I communicate rather well on paper, but as every instrument needs an occasional tuning- the compass of my interpersonal skills  needed some polishing and resetting back to true north.

To achieve these goals,  I needed to go cold turkey from my technology addiction.

Which is how I came to go off the grid for 6 days in the Rocky Mountain State of Colorado. No computer, not much cell phone reception, no email and no camera for the first two days. 


 A long and winding drive to Estes Park through Boulder is the anecdote to a life creeping along in LA traffic. The  town marks the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park- wildflower capital of the region. 

One look at wildflowers resting at the edge of the roadside, and I was renewed.










Aster, like I pay to pair with geraniums in the ground cover near my English roses- bobbing their smiling faces up through the grass, to the delight of the local elk.



Ah, the fabled elk.  Each weighing in around 850 pounds. I kept to the parking lot. The rental car my shield  just in case the pair took offense to my aiming my long lens in its direction.

On the retreat, I faced my devil. My pride.  

Fear and Anger are Siamese Twins. When someone is angry- stop and ask- What are you afraid of?  I don't know about you, but my greatest sins have been committed when I am afraid. So the more we can do to conquer fear, the happier and more honorable a life we live.

I look forward to exorcising my tendency to leap from having judgement to being judgemental. Want someone to fail- be judgemental or hover. Its like providing cement fins  to a swimmer.

I am a recovering fixaholic. I resolutely act to fix anything or anyone, anytime and anywhere. Wrong. I need to focus on just a few priorities and then turn the rest over to God.   

I learned that to live on a ledger sheet is to live with all the joy of Ebeneezer Scrooge. This was a new concept: constant mention of price tags unwittingly communicates grandiosity. I will remember to ask if there is a need to know before volunteering prices in everyday conversations.  

But most important. Love. There will come a day when someone you love deeply will not be there. You won't be able to hold them or tell them they mean the world to you. That they are your hero and inspire you to breathe on days when it is hard to. 

The saddest people I have ever known are those who decided to withhold love. They never intended that would be until it was too late. That is something overwhich we have no control.

Unless there is dishonor in the love: declare it often and loudly. 




Refreshed, retooled and restored, it was time to head, like Moses, down the mountain. Before I was out of town, the local celebrity posed for me. An elk clearly identifiable for the Christmas lights entwined in his antlers.  I stuck to photographing the majestic animal. I didn't want to be the paparazzi who made him mad asking for an autograph.

5 comments:

  1. Oh Lydia,
    That was so lovely. Your photos are fit for a magazine.
    What a truly beautiful place, Colorado! In fact most of our America is so beautiful. Thanks be to God.
    Thank you for sharing your intermost thoughts. It sounds like you were able to retreat, refresh and leave Colorado a rested and happy lady!

    Love your elk photo with the Christmas lights on his antlers! Now, how do you suppose that happen and the better question is where does he plug in at Christmas time? :):)

    I'm with you! When I go away from home I leave technology behind. That's one of the reasons I never wanted a laptop. Nothing is so important that I have to read every day. It will keep until I return. Well, usually when I return I am overwhelmed with the emails but that's what the delete key is for, right?

    Hugs and thanks for sharing!
    XO Trisha

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  2. Lydia, if there's one thing I've learned about you over the years, you are always willing to do the hard work!

    Looks like your relaxing vacation was a work in progress on yourself. You are certainly one introspective person. In my humble opinion, that means, my dear, you're deep! LOL.

    I'm just a surface type person who lollygags along in life and rarely thinks of doing anything more difficult than vege on a beach or picnic in the rockies. After all, it's vacation. No what you've done to and for yourself is amazing. I'm thinking it's such a good thing and will ultimately make your life easier for the work you've done now.

    I'm also thinking of the quote, "Know they self." Lydia, it sounds like you certainly have accomplished that among your other attributes! I'm so glad that all of Colorado's beauty and grandeur had such a profound affect on you.

    Judy
    Seal Beach

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  3. Hi Trisha- The owner can plug the lights back in after the antlers are shed.
    Hi, Judy- Those are kind words. Thank you.

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  4. So glad you are refreshed and renewed and are declaring your love. Your photos make me want to take a deep breath. And you are so right about fear and anger. Still takes practice, however, to pause before reacting to anger.

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  5. The mountains are good for the soul. Thanks for reminding me to tell the ones I love that I do.

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