Outdoor Therapy

In the last two weeks, I've called a friend three times just to vent. She's very good at reminding me that I'm being an idiot without actually making me feel like an idiot, and I always hang up feeling much better about life, but I was starting to wish I wouldn't lose it quite so often. So when my original plans to go camping last weekend fell through, I decided to take a quick trip to Zion National Park instead. It was fabulous. On Saturday, I saw some emerald pools, some weeping rocks, and a bit of the Narrows. And I got my feet in the Virgin River.

Then I went to the hotel and soaked in the jetted tub. Ahhhh. On Sunday, I went for a bucket list hike—Angels Landing. So. Freakin'. Amazing. Here's me before, with Angels Landing in the background:

Yes, it's the tall one just hanging out in the middle of nowhere. If you haven't been on this hike or seen pictures of what the last half mile is like, Google it. That last section is what kept me from hiking it before now—not because I didn't want to do it, but because every time I've visited Zion I've been with people who are afraid of heights. This time, even though my mom was with me and she wanted nothing to do with that last half mile, I decided I was going anyway. So I left her at Scout Lookout and went on up the ridge. And here's what I was rewarded with:

And the other side:

And looking back the way I had come:

Completely incredible. Oh, and just to prove I really was there, here's me in all my sweaty glory:

After sitting up there, feeling like I was on top of the world, wishing I could fly, and contemplating eternity for a while, I regained clarity. I found perspective and balance and that calmness I had been missing in my life. It sounds totally cheesy, but I found myself. My world can be full of change and uncertainty, but as long as I can hold on to that feeling of being centered in myself, I can be OK. All it takes is some quality time in one of God's beautiful places to remind me of that. Now hopefully I can keep the vent sessions to a minimum—at least for a little while.