We headed up to Vermont last week to hang out in West Dover at the base of Mount Snow. We didn’t have a lot planned for this vacation other than relaxing, swimming and eating. But before we left, I did a little research to find out what was nearby. I found that the charming town of Manchester, with it’s beautiful shops and historic estate of Hildene, was only about an hour away. One morning, John and I loaded the boys in the car, plugged the address into the GPS, and hit the road.
But here’s the thing about our trip. Much like life, we had no idea what was ahead of us. When we plugged in our final destination, we didn’t realize that there would be obstacles in our way. Or that the majority of our hour long trip would be along a very narrow, very windy dirt road. Because standing between us and our final destination was this little thing called a mountain. My first reaction to this realization was annoyance (Are you kidding me?) and then impatience (It’s going to take us forever to get there!). But we decided to forge ahead, realizing that once we started on this narrow road there was no turning around. It was go forward or go home. So we started the climb on the lonely road. The road took some getting used to. It was bumpy, and slow, and scary in parts. But once we were traveling for a while we realized something. It was really beautiful. We kept saying “When will we ever have an experience like this again?” We were alone on a mountain, surrounded by trees and streams and calm. And there was beauty in the journey.
As we reached the end of our mountain road, the trip became much easier. The road became a little wider. There were houses and other signs of life that let us know we were almost back to civilization. And then there it was; pavement. I have never been so happy to drive on a paved road in my life.
We had a really fun day at Hildene and Manchester Center, but for the rest of the trip we kept talking about that ride up the mountain. It’s something we’ll never forget.
I realized that this trip was a metaphor for my life. For reaching our goals. Right now in our business, we are still “climbing the mountain”. And sometimes it is hard not to be impatient and wish that the road was smoother. And shorter. That we would just reach our destination already. Sometimes I feel like we are the only ones on this lonely road. That everyone else somehow bypassed the mountain and took the expressway. But I have to remember that when I enter my goals into my GPS (goal priority system), that although the road may be long and hard, there is beauty in the journey.
