That Moment of Peace Amongst The Chaos

This summer has been crazy busy.  Preparing for eldest's move to college, house updates involving a contractor, getting a brand new car repaired, getting a new driver ready to go solo, planning a vacation, continuing to survive in a pandemic, etc, etc. 

In this picture of our recent vacation, my eldest and I are at a National Wildlife Art Museum in Jackson, Wyoming at their patio restaurant called Palate.  When Riley found the restaurant and the views online, I wanted to be in that space.  It was calling me. 

I very much desired to take in moments with the wonder of creation all around.  These are stunning views of mountains and as a native Louisianian residing at 40 feet above sea level, this is still fresh and inviting to me!  I don't want to drive them or hike them (too much) but LOOK at them, oh my.  

Yes, please. 

On a California trip in 2018, I pushed and Riley and I ended up at the Cliff Restaurant in San Francisco on the coast.  We hiked our way across Golden Gate State Park, took a bus and another hike to get there.  I pushed against my instincts to stay small, go along, stay in the box, and not ask for what I wanted.  We did it,  and there was a wall of windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean and it was magnificent! It was just magical.  That scene called to me, I listened and I and I LOVED every bit of it including my feet screaming.  

Family vacation.  It's a newish concept for me.  Growing up, my family of origin were not able to take many vacations and neither did my husband's family.   When I met my husband that is when I really began to travel.  First of all, his parents lived in Massachusetts, a distant and foreign land and it went from there.

The family that he and I have created, our core four, have been able to travel and the girls have been so many places. Sometimes, we take them places they don't want to go. 

"Go West Young Man" was what I dubbed our eleven day driving trip in 2015 to New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah including stops at the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and Zion National Park.  I learned a lot about my family on that trip.  George adamantly wants to stop at every stop in the twenty six mile Painted Desert.  At Disney, he wants to go from early in the am to late at night for six days straight.  The rest of the family, not so much. This creates chaos and that IS just a part of family vacations. 

How do you compromise? 

During the Go West Young Man trip of 2015, we ventured to The Narrows in Zion National Park, a gorge with 1000 foot walls and the Virgin River flowing through spaces as small as twenty to thirty feet wide. It was 100 degrees but our feet were hiking in very cold water.  I was enthralled.  It was a both/and moment. There were a lot of people, and Riley did not like it, at all and Mallory loved it.  George wanted to continue and he wanted the family to stay together.  

This was not a pretty picture and it was chaos. 

Not quite chaos but extremely uncomfortable.  As much as Riley did not want to go on, George did. 

I believe, that is one of the moments that George and I learned, dividing and conquering is a good thing.  A very good thing. Yet, it is hard to go against natural instincts. George wants the whole family to be together.  I want peace. Riley nor Mallory do not like crowds. Mallory is more adventurous. Riley and I love learning history. 

On this most recent trip, we learned neither daughter very much wanted to go to Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons.  I mistakenly had mentioned more tropical locations, before I decided I did not want to tangle with quarantining or hurricanes. This led to a stand down.  The compromise, was to add ropes course, zip lining and whitewater rafting for Mallory with George and off days and an art museum for Riley and I. 

But even those plans don't necessarily go smoothly.  Our museum morning required pickup of George and Mallory after their whitewater rafting at noon yet  I also really wanted to sit at that restaurant in the art Museum mentioned earlier. 

The Palate Restaurant at the Art museum called, but then so did Mallory saying they needed to be picked up early.  Riley and I had just sat down, to have an appetizer and then we were going to pick them up.  With the new information, I had to find the waitress, and tell her to make it to go.  

Riley was not pleased that plans changed once again.  I had changed plans a few times on my "structure" girl. She likes to make plans and stick to them.  I am a more a fly by my seat of my pants girl, on occasion.

I had about ten minutes to enjoy that view while someone was shooting me daggers with their eyes.   I took the majesty of the situation in and I remembering breathing deeply to ground me.  I ignored the daggers and I took in the magic.  This I have learned, is a skill that I am honing.  I can take in beautiful moments of tranquility while amongst chaos. 

This is the both/and of life. 

It is that much sweeter because it is so hard to come by. 

Namaste.