Lesson’s from the Grand Canyon (part 2)
Hiking from Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon requires that you start at the wee hours of the morning (2:30 AM in my case) to ensure you finish before sunset. Walking the Canyon at night is pretty cool. You’re wearing a headlamp and it is fun to see the processional of people with lights on their heads walking down switchbacks in front and back of you. It’s quiet and still in the canyon at night. Serene and peaceful. There are times when you know that you’re on a land bridge because you can feel the drop off on both sides.. You fall into a rhythm of walking and expecting the dawn to come. You are eager to see what you’ve gotten yourself into.
Then it happens – the sun start to show itself. Just a tiny bit and the walls are reflected off of the moonlight. Morning is happening. We found ourselves about halfway down the Canyon. All of sudden you looked around you and everything is… amazing. Red canyon walls. It is incredible.
I was overwhelmed by it and I said to the people around me “At this moment I am so happy I decided to do this! So please remind me that I just said that when we start uphill and I’m tired and I get cranky!” [Aside – yep, I had to be reminded a few times.]
The first 7 hours of the hike was pretty much like that. A lot of ooh and aaah moments and it was pretty much a party. All downhill or flat territory. We had trained hard so our bodies weren’t stressed yet and no one was in pain. Mentally I was still strong and not thinking about the next 8 hours. I was all smiles and feeling good about myself. Then the sun came out full force. At exactly 9:15 AM! When the sun comes out in the Grand Canyon, it comes to do the job at hand in excellence; heat everything up. Man, did it get hot quick. Everyone started to slow down. Less chatting, less picture taking (happy snaps as our Aussie guide called them) and a lot less partying in general. The party had ended and the real work had begun.
It was time to start making the uphill trek out of the canyon. No shade, no cover of night. Full out sun, full out uphill. This is what we had trained for, prepared for – the grueling uphill climb out. Even though I knew I was physically prepared to do this I needed to be reminded of the magic so that I didn’t miss it, because it was still there. The scenery was still beautiful, the people I was with were still awesome. But I was cranky and apt to ignore all of that and focus on what was hard.
I bet that happens to you. You get super excited about a great idea for a business. You put on your brave suit and take action to make it happen and all that dreaming and planning is the party! It’s a lot of fun. But soon a time will come when the hard work starts and you will miss the party because you are cranky. So capture the magic of the beginning somehow and have that handy to remind yourself when you get to the uphill part of the journey. Don’t miss the magic that is still happening when things get hard. All journeys get hard, all journeys have an uphill segment. Get yourself ready for it. Remember the Magic, that’s the 2nd lesson I learned from the Canyon.
Stay tuned for my last lesson and part III – Ask and Receive Help
You go girl!
Tammy
PS. If you think yourself a brave girl who would love to take on a physical challenge and help other women who have suffered from medical setbacks to go on the adventure with you – then check out www.projectathena.org. An amazing group of people! I am forever grateful to them for the experience.
PPS. Way Beyond Ordinary is here to help you capture and remember the magic. That’s the magic in it for us!