Climb Every Mountain?
“Climb Every Mountain, Ford Every Stream, Follow Every Rainbow, Until You Find Your Dream”
Climb Every Mountain, Sound of Music
The summer of 2011 was exhausting for me. As a 30-something single, I was working a dream job, investing so much of my heart and soul into it I eventually came to the realization - my energy was depleted. My introverted self was clearly communicating that I needed some time of peaceful rest. I had always wanted to visit Lake Placid in Upstate New York and thought that I could use some inspiration from the beautiful mountains, rolling streams, quaint towns and of course the legendary 1980s Olympic Hockey Team - So I booked a few nights at the Lake Placid Crowne Plaza (Highly recommend. It’s great!).
A week or so prior to my weekend away, I was visiting my friend Laura who was also investing so much of her heart and soul into a project - her very colic-ey, up-all-night, super fussy, but adorably cute infant son. She was also exhausted and I felt very self-indulgent when I shared that I was leaving for a few nights of R&R. So when her husband inquired if it would be okay if Laura joined - I obviously said “YES! Of Course!”
However, part of me was anxious. At the time, I didn’t know of any books, television shows or movies where a single-in-the-city 30 something goes on a weekend away with a married-in-the-suburbs 30 something mom. Will our differences in life stages prevent us from being compatible travel friends? Would we be able to have the trip we both needed so desperately? Unfortunately, recently released Eat, Pray Love didn’t provide many answers to these questions.
As we started our drive, we quickly realized the bliss of having no cell service and no crying baby. This allowed us to begin sharing stories about the things in life causing stress:
me - demanding boss : Laura - unsympathetic pediatricians
me - unrealistic professional expectations : Laura - unrealistic parenting expectations
me - realizing my professional dream came true, but worried I was going to ruin the opportunity : Laura - realizing her parenting dream came true but worried she was doing something wrong.
Laura and I may have been in different life stages, but our stresses were very similar. Why aren’t there more books, television shows or movies about singles and moms traveling together. . . or at the least hanging out together?
Crossing Lake Champlain
As we arrived at Lake Champlain, we finally started to feel a bit more relaxed as we took the ferry. We drove through quaint towns, stopping at little markets, picking up treats to enjoy - our bodies were starting to do what we needed - slow down, take deep breaths and relax.
The next morning we woke up and walked to grab coffee. I found a super cute place looking over Lake Placid and lost myself in a book - interestingly Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck. After a slice of pizza for lunch we went back to our room and . . . took a nap!
Oh the bliss we felt when we woke up! We wanted this happy feeling to continue so we decided it was time to check out the hotel hot tub. After just a few short minutes of our (what we hoped would be a lengthy) time of solitude - two women joined and were “oooooh”-ing and “ahhhhh”-ing about how sore their feet were and telling us about an epic hike they just completed.
All we could add to the conversation - Coffee. Book. Pizza. Nap. How pathetic Laura and I both felt. Here we were in the middle of beautiful scenery with so many out doorsey things to experience and the best part of my day was a cup of coffee and a nap? At the least maybe we should have enjoyed the outdoors by biking along a flat riverbed - especially if these women could do some crazy hard hike. The guilt we felt for not “climbing every mountain” led Laura to confess . . . “Well . . . we just woke up from a nap.”
Laura’s voice mirrored the shame I felt in having a lazy afternoon. So, with the hope of subsiding this shame, I quickly added - “For what it is worth, this is her first time away from her infant son.” Immediately after saying this - a sisterhood of 4 formed in that hotel hot tub. “Wow!” said one of the muscle aching hiking women “that is sure harder than any mountain I climbed today.”
So often I find myself idealizing what travel should be via instagram posts, blogs, books, movies, travel magazines and a host of other mediums that indulge my curiosity. I’ve yet to see Travel & Leisure publish a “Top 10 List of Best Places for a Saturday Afternoon Nap” (Stay tuned for a future blog post with Prague taking the #1 spot).
What I learned during my trip with Laura to Lake Placid is that traveling comes in many forms and can be best with someone who is in a much different stage in life. Through travel we can learn that there are many similarities that bond humanity. Although Laura and I were in different life stages, we had the same exhaustion - and the best cure for us at that time was books, coffee, pizza, hot tubs and most of all - a nap!
As we Read Far & Wide and seek to learn more about ourselves, through discovering stories and new places - Let’s be kind to ourselves and know that sometimes it is okay to nap on a Saturday afternoon instead of climbing a mountain!
“Strength doesn’t lie in numbers, Strength doesn’t lie in wealth, Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers.”
I Have Confidence, Sound of Music
For further reading, check out Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey
