Reality Check

I grew up in the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest and returning to nature remains my favorite activity. A walk in the woods never fails to remind me of the core, consistent life lessons that nature provides. This summer, the Canadian Rockies served as my classroom.

Taking a break from biking to straddle the Great Divide between British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. Lesson: Closing the gap between any divide in life starts by taking one step.

 I didn't go it alone - my family joined six other families from all over the country on a "deluxe" camping trip designed by Backroads.  (Deluxe means they pitch your tent, cook for you, and give you a ride if you are too tired to hike or bike - the only way to camp!)

Lake Louise, Banff, CA National Park. Lesson: Humility.

The week's weather forecast called for sunshine and warm temperatures. What a surprise when we endured unrelenting downpours, thunderstorms, and hail! Isn't life like that? We expect one thing and many times get another. During one four hour hike into the mountains above Lake Louise, we started with sunshine and it quickly turned to hail. A reminder that change is constant. It doesn't matter what we want to happen. How well are we equipped to deal with the reality of what is in front of us? That's the difference between resiliency and being stuck.

View of Lake Louise after hiking two hours. Lesson: Change is constant.

Soaking wet after hiking through sun, rain, lightening, and hail. Lesson: Uncomfortable is not unbearable.

The biking portion included options of up to 40 miles per day, and the guides were clear: there will be hills! Just like life - not all of it is a flat, easy ride. But, by being willing to exert some energy, I proved to myself that I can navigate the ups and downs.

Taking a break after biking one very long hill! My reward was seeing FOUR black bears in the span of one hour. Lesson: Be patient.

Despite the weather challenges, there were plenty of blue skies, singing around campfires, and instant bonding between all the kids on the trip. Without any electronics (and no cell phone reception) the kids passed every evening by playing flash light tag and hide-and-seek. I was able to connect and hear the stories of my fellow travelers. Being in nature has a way of slowing everything down.

Scaling my first glacier! Later the same day, I went white water rafting on a river created by glacier run off. Lesson: Everything is connected.

It always amazes me how nature is one endless loop. One thing affects the other and all are perfectly created to work together. As an extension of nature, that means that every thought, intention, and action I have causes a ripple effect. Nothing we do can truly be in isolation.

Staying Down

Cleveland temperatures warmed up yesterday, so I ventured outdoors for my morning run. As careful as I thought I was being, I hit black ice anyway and went down hard! Perhaps you've had one of those falls where just a second ago you were up, and just like that, you're down, without a clue what happened between here and there. My first instinct was to get back up again as quickly as possible. Perhaps I was nervous someone would see my embarrassing predicament? Well, of course, I went right back down again!

It occurred to me the second time around that sometimes in life, there's value in staying down. When we stumble, it's for a reason. Getting up too quickly and forging ahead without examining the cause for our fall will lead us right back down again, eventually.

Life is an "And"

Since the passing of Joe Paterno, much has been said about his life and legacy. Most of the discussion centers around whether the choices he made near the end of his career overshadow the reputation he had spent a lifetime building. In other words, was he good or bad? Without having ever met the man, I can say without a doubt that he was both. I say that because he's human, and just like the rest of us, Paterno's life was an "And."

Each and every one of us is capable of making both good and bad choices. Our hearts are capable are expressing both love and hate - sometimes for the same person. At any moment, each of us is only two or three decisions away from ruining our lives. Human beings are complex and vulnerable. It's unfair to categorize anyone as "either, or."

Perceiving someone as all bad takes away our compassion and hope for redemption or forgiveness. Assuming someone is all good will eventually lead to disappointment because people will fail us. Putting people on a pedestal only makes the fall greater and makes it harder for them to admit mistakes.

The purpose of death is to remind us how to live. Without judgment, what lessons can you take away from Paterno's death to apply to your own life? Do you have reasonable expectations of people? Do you need to reconcile a relationship? Are you living a truthful life? If you were to die today, would you be proud of the choices you're currently making? Let Paterno's legacy be that his conduct made us think about our own.