A trip to see the rockies
Whenever I feel ungrounded, I like to go to the mountains. And, I like to stare at them — in the peacefulness of nature while I think about life. Why? Because they’re rooted, big, strong, structured… they’re not going anywhere.
I’m not good at planning trips, to be honest. I love taking them, but I’m not the king of planning them because of all of the variables that life gives, if you know what I mean. If you don’t know what I mean, here’s an example of life doing it’s grand work as it works on one of your fellow humans — me, lol.
I had a birthday coming up, and I wanted to travel to a place that had good elevation that would help to give a perspective of where I’ve been and where I plan to go. It didn’t take long to identify the easiest accessible answer? Denver, Colorado. The perfect opportunity to work on the skill of trip-planning! It helped that flights were priced great, and it would be an easy trip that I could get some exercise in with a good hike. I was confident after conquering these variables.
And then, what can never be planned plans itself. The day before that very birthday, I learned that my grandfather, Leonard Parke, passed away in Jamaica. In reality, when life hands out heavy weight like this, it can be hard to carry for all family connected. In hindsight, the way the timing worked out gives me the sense that it was all a premonition by God, an intelligence that is working before us all.
“The knower knows and plans — and your work is to accept it and move through it mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.”
Truly, the trip did so much for me in that sense — it did all of the prior, it pacified me and brought me peace. In the short stay, I was able to discover the city a bit more. I was able to get some good laughs in at a comedy show featuring Shuler King at the Denver Improv with my good homie, DJ. I had great meals and service at D Bar and Lucille’s where I was served by kind people who made sure I was all good, all the time. It was nice! I got to hike up to 7,200 feet and see Buffalo Bills’ gravesite along the way. I had a great Mile High City experience, absorbing a crisp October air, 70-degree temperature and radiant sunshine.
You never know what you will need in life and when you will need it, so the attempt to plan at least gives you a higher percentage of whatever you want to happen, to happen. And, life always delivers… things you want and things that you don’t want. As a believer in wiser intelligence, plans seem to be set before they need to be set. And, it always has a good reason for teaching you about the process of it.
—Leon
