Sailing Through Life

I have to say ... this looks REALLY good right about now! Personally, the beauty and peacefulness of this moment are a much bigger draw than my desk and deadlines! But what I also love is seeing those girls two by two. Do they know they are learning things like teamwork? Do they know that they are fueling each other's confidence? Do they know that they now have a skill that makes one late-blooming, middle-aged Girl Scout a little envious?

Aside from one afternoon trying to learn how to windsurf in northern Minnesota, I have not spent any time maneuvering a sail. And with the pace at which my life travels, I don't know when the opportunity to learn will come. These are the types of things that I find myself wishing I had experienced in my youth. What a wealth of experiences are available to modern girls! Maybe I'll start catching up when I retire. If you see a windsurfing grandmother 30 years from now ... it just may be me!

Your Not-So-(stereo)Typical Hiker

I'm tall ... but not currently slender and probably not who you you would expect to meet on a mountain trail or in a canyon. I'm loaded down with cameras and am sporting brand new "gear" (recently discovered the value of trekking poles, multi-terrain shoes, rugged water bottles, and backpacks), and I move SLOWLY. So I imagine that seeing an overly equipped, rotund hiker sliding down a slope while rolling backwards is not a common sight. FORTUNATELY, I don't think anyone saw me! Yes, me. At that moment, I didn't want to admit I am a Girl Scout!

All drama aside (I won't detail the excitement here, but if you are REALLY interested you can visit my personal blog), I have to admit that my first thought as I was lying at the bottom of Red Rock Canyon after performing my magnificent slidey-flip was, "THIS WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!" I found a series of "hidey-holes" in the rocks, a perfect place with shade to eat some lunch and write in my journal. I bet I could have camped there!

Brave thought for me ... but made me wish I had those kinds of opportunities when I was young. I wish I could turn back time and be part of a Girl Scout troop that had adventures. I wish I had opportunities to travel internationally like girls do now with destinations and the like. But I'll catch up as I can. And maybe one day I'll actually camp in a cave and get more pictures like this ...