The first day of my year 2014 started with the wee morning hours spent floating through a haze of cat naps labour checks and a birth at the clinic. The sunrise was simple and beautiful, the start of a new day. From work I headed off to the mountain. Being the first day of the year, the state parks were closed, except for the tramway trail, which was open for a guided hike. Having been invited by some of my friends, I was excited to finally get on the mountain again and spend some time with friends in the great outdoors.
The climb was an exhilarating and exhausting experience, and since there were not many people on the hike, it was good to get to hear the stories of some of the other hikers. There was a father and son from Washington, a couple of friends from Mexico, a family from El Paso, and the leader and his wife had transfered in from a park in Florida to be able to live in the mountains here. It was a relaxed group, eager to hike and be outdoors.
Making it to the top, we enjoyed the view before piling onto the tram and heading down. Because of the nine people stuffed into the tram instead of the normal six, the space allowed us to get very close very quickly and our trip down was accompanied by joking and laughter.
There was one other young lady on the tram, and her easygoing nature and sense of humor attracted me to her, so on getting off the tram, I introduced myself to her. That one simple introduction started a conversation that touched on everything from current schooling, future dreams, and faith. It was such a blessing to spend time with someone passionate about her faith, searching for opportunity to connect with and care for those around her, and living life with intentionallity and joy. What an unexpected encouragement!
Just goes to show that I never know who I'll meet or what I'll learn when I choose to reach out, even just to say hi. What a way to start off the year!
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