Taking a Pause

Hiking in Utah. Photo by T. Brislin

We live in a very action-oriented place. People run, hike, mountain bike, raft, kayak, camp, and more, on a regular basis. Many people’s weekends and off-times are planned around outdoor activities. Within an hour from here you can raft and kayak down the Animas, San Juan and Dolores rivers. There are miles of mountain biking at Phil’s World near Cortez, and the hiking is quite literally, endless. And that’s just the summer. Winter activities are just as active with downhill and nordic skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. Given all of that, I just want to say, that sometimes it is nice to just hit pause. I like to stop on the trail and just listen. Or sit on a rock and try to really see everything, both close up and at a distance. For just a moment, or ten. Sometimes when I hike with people I feel guilty doing that. I feel like I should push on and that the hike is not just a hike but a fitness goal. Gotta get my steps in.  But it’s ok to pause and to stop pushing, you will still get there and enjoy yourself along the way.

​Week 13
This week at the Harmony Barn there was a pause. No action, no progress. It can be frustrating when you know summer and rental season is rapidly approaching. It seems easier to focus on what needs to happen than all that has been done. Kind of like paying more attention to how far you have to go, and forgetting about the trail behind you, and all the wonderful things you have seen, that brought you to this place. We know that progress will begin again we trust our contractor will make it happen. No doubt about it, it is hard. Hard to not want to push. But today I had the opportunity to look back and see how far we have come. Friends came over and we took a little tour of what has been accomplished so far and what we plan to do. They were so excited and it made me excited. It’s just a pause, and time to take in where we are.