Sometimes when I take people hiking, the hikes don't turn out as we planned. I have had to turn back because someone opted out as well as because of my own choices. However, there is no need to apologize if we don't reach the waterfall or sign the register at the peak. I don't just hike for the destination. I actually do it more to get out and get exercise. For me, the experience is about more than just the end.
Before I moved to Vegas, I worked a strange shift. It left me off on days when other people were working, and so I took dozens of road trips alone. Basically, I picked a road, filled the tank, and drove as far as I could on a tank of gas there and back, seeing whatever I could along the way. Sometimes I saw what I planned. Sometimes I saw other things. Sometimes the things I saw by the way were more interesting than the original goal. I even used to stop at all those roadside stands that claim they have the best beef jerky ever and buy some. Trust me, some of them are not all that great!
A few years back, my close hiking friend said that "the real objective of every hike is to get back to the car safely". Meanwhile, we get to see a few things. Last time we went hiking, we saw mountain wildflowers in bloom, wild horses, leaves turning colors, and an old propeller driven plane from WWII. Sure, it was nice we made it to the waypoint we picked, but we still had a nice workout and got out to a much nicer place than the typical Vegas summer offers. It was fun.
I am not an objective oriented person when it comes to recreation. I recreate to recreate. I don't really get a big rise out of winning or the championship or such stuff. After that, it's kind of a big crash as you are let down. The pent up energy of the chase climaxes and then dies. The longer the journey and the more you joy in the road along the way, the longer your enjoyment, and the memories last an extra, extra long time. Gum?
I realize I enjoy working on things more than I do checking them off a list. Maybe that's why I abandon some projects, because the ones I finish, well, now that they're over I don't know what to do with the rest of my life. I already had to write a bucket list when I turned 30 to give myself some goals, and much of that is already marked off as complete. I just wish there was someone with whom to share my life for greater synergy, a way to have joy in the journey rather than just in arriving. That's how I feel anyway.
1 comment:
That's a good approach, I think. The same thing is with life - we are here to do some specific tasks probably, so that we could check them off the list, but we should just enjoy life for the beauty of it, with all its sweet and sour.
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