A Jill Story: There's always a higher mountain to climb

I didn't blog right away when I got home from my trip to the mountains because I thought that if I waited a few days a real good post would brew in my head. I've been home for three days now. Nothin' but a bunch of pondering.

My trip to Kananaskis was wonderful. Perhaps one day I could call it life changing.

I learned that my heart felt a strong connection to the mountains and icy rivers when before I thought it was happiest on the plains and at the beach. Saying goodbye to the sublime geography was hard.

From Kananaskis Trip 2011

I challenged my anxiety about horseback riding and can say I'd ride again, but my favourite part of the activity is still just standing in front of the horse and looking into its soulful eyes. You lose that connection once you're riding, and that's my favourite part about being with an animal.

From Kananaskis Trip 2011

I found a new activity that I could love: rafting. People can white water paddle in Manitoba but they do it by canoe and that just doesn't seem like as much fun. No bounce. We had a really cool guide, Heidi, from Inside Out Adventures. How do I describe her? If you were to draw a cartoon character of an outdoor adventure girl, you'd draw Heidi. If you were to give that cartoon a Disney Princess voice, you'd use Heidi's. Heidi told us she used to work at a fitness club as a receptionist until one day she decided she'd had enough of sitting behind a desk surrounded by athletic adventure seekers and wanted to be one herself. I didn't take my camera rafting with me, so you'll just have to trust me that it was beautiful and splashy. I do have a picture of the view from the meeting point. More mountains, more pretty water.

From Kananaskis Trip 2011

I read Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy, the true story of Richmond P. Hobson Jr., a real cowboy who built a cattle empire in the unexplored wilderness of the B.C. interior in the 40s. The story is another example of how love draws people together in profound ways. (But mostly it's about horses and cows and life in the wilderness.) Will my love story be an adventurous journey or a happy surprise?

I spent time with familiar family and unfamiliar family, and I spent time with myself. Balance is key here.

I don't know if it was the mountain gazing, the fresh air, the 17 hour drive, the chats with the family or the day of outdoor adventure, but I came home feeling that my perspective had been widened and my potential pencil-sketched out. I thought I knew every corner of my desires and dreams and that I was cruising along putting ticks in all the boxes.