I did not grow up in an outdoorsy family. I can only remember one family vacation that involved the outdoors and it was our last. Partly because when you take 3 kids to the mountains under the age of 10 you have to plan more for them than you do when you go the beach. You can only entertain a kid for so long with gold-digging and endless amounts of food at the Dillard House.
Because of this, I did not grow up loving the outdoors. Nope, not at all.
Well, fast forward many years and I have found myself in a community of people who LOVE the outdoors. Especially Mr. H :)
I am here to tell you, you can survive the outdoors in pearls and matching outfits. It is fact. I had this realization when I was hiking recently.
Let me take you down the road of my adventures.
First up, white water rafting. This all began when an email began circling about getting Groupons to take on the mighty rapids. At the time, I did not want to be left out, so I bought the Groupon. We bought the Groupons in February, so I figured I had a good amount of time to prepare for the rapids. Next thing I know, here comes August and we are on the way to the river. Hello, white-cap rapids and rafts of people everywhere. But, as you know, I learned a big lesson of
trust during those 3 hours of rafting with 6 of my friends.
Up next, my first hike. Well, Mr. H, loves hiking. It is true; he would hike every weekend if he could. So we set off for a hike on our MLK holiday. We hiked one of the more popular mountains in Georgia. It wasn’t a terrible experience, actually it was very pleasant. The trail was well maintain (thanks AT people) and beautiful scenery around. Besides the fact that it was freezing and started to sleet once we got to the top. But, have no fear; I had my pink ruffled gloves to keep my hands warm. I also learned the importance of the proper gear and shoes needed to rough this terrain. However, I am quite proud of my outfit. Of course pearls were worn.
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| Yes, I wore pink tennis shoes. |
Then there was the hike a month ago. Maybe the hike that could have changed my life? I was all set in my new hiking shoes, pearl earrings, pink hiking shirt and matching black hiking pants. Well, it all started when I saw the sign that said, “Pavement Ends”, and my heart starting racing. I know this was going to be a bear to hike. The good news is there is a waterfall just a mere .3 miles up once you start. It was beautiful. People all around and pictures were taken. Then we continued, up and up we went. Mr. H was a really good sport. I am not sure how many times I said, “are we there yet?” or “which mountain top are we going to?”. This hike, unlike Blood Mountain, was a straight incline. Yes, folks, like straight up hill. Let me just paint this picture shall I? Mr. H and I and three other hikers we passed along the way, hiking poles, an uphill climb and about three different mountain tops around us. I could not see clearly what mountain top we were going to nor could I see the end of this uphill battle. But the whole purpose of hiking is to enjoy God's creation and I could not focus on that, I was more focused on the end. The moment when I got to sit and eat my turkey sandwich and rest. I also knew getting to the top meant going downhill would be a piece-of-cake.
Then it hit me. I was looking to the finish line. I wasn't enjoying what I was doing or where I was. I was just trying to check it off my list of things to do. Having this attitude lead me to be a very poor sport. It is true and I apologized. I probably wasn't the best hiking partner that day, but Mr. H forgave me.
I learned a very valuable lesson that wonderful hike.
And I will keep hiking and enjoying the view, the company and God's creation. And maybe just a little celebration once we hit the top and always wear pearls :)
