Hi friends! Today, I’m sharing a little trip down memory lane. Childhood is a funny thing. The memories you carry with you last forever. Recently, I went camping near the Grand Canyon. The last time I was there was in 1980.
When we were in 1980, my thoughts ran along the lines of “Really? We are stopping to stare at a big hole in the ground?” Now, to be fair to my 12 year-old-self, we were driving back from a family reunion in Kentucky and I was probably really tired of being in the car. You’d think stopping to get out would be a good thing. Nope. It was boring. BORING!!! I didn’t get why everyone was so enthralled with a bunch of cliffs and striped rocks.
I get it now.
Pictures don’t do it justice.
My 12 year-old-self was wrong.
I found a whole new appreciation for the wonders of the world while we were camping. I also found a whole new resentment for technology. What was supposed to be a vacation and a break from work and social media, turned out very differently. We have board games and playing cards in the trailer and they were never used. We didn’t talk to each other much. We were either on the phone sharing pictures, using a tablet to check sports scores or the weather, emailing people we thought couldn’t do without us for five days or arranging and dealing with work issues. Ugh.
All this beauty in front of us and we were buried in other stuff. It made me realize how much we fall in to the “always be connected” pseudo reality that is social media. Seriously! How many times a day do you reach for your phone “just to check” something? It’s a scary number. I hadn’t realized how often it happens, until we were on vacation.
I don’t want my trip to be remembered for those things though! I’m focusing on the positive! We did hike the rim of the canyon! (Go me!!) We wandered around Sedona and ate a late dinner one night at the sweetest little Route 66 Diner! And check out these old phone booths that were in our campground! Talk about a trip down memory lane!!
So, while I no longer have the “Boring!!!” image of the Grand Canyon in my head, I will carry with me the peaceful, fully disconnected moments of the grandiose sunsets, the elk, the colors, the knee-wobbling feeling of looking over sheer cliffs and the beauty of one of natures great masterpieces.
All in all, I’d call it a win.
Until next time friends! Put down your phones and go experience LIFE!
