We spent an entire day going up on gondolas, listening to the quiet of the wilderness, sighting a bear (!), and feeling at one with nature in, perhaps, oned of the most beautiful places in the world. In LA, I’m never without cellphone and clock…and in fact…never find myself anywhere without seeing another single human being for minutes at a time. The four of us were on a gondola designed for 28 people…with just the four of us on it for a trip from Whistler to Blackcomb and back again.
On our way down from Blackcomb, on a ski lift, we all sat silent…just listening to the sounds of nature and the absence of “noise”. While we weren’t “flying”, it sure felt like it, with our feet dangling, the wind and sun in our face, high above the treetops.
Not only did we completely lose track of time, but we really didn’t care about time for the entire day. We…just…lived. Human beings in touch with a nature that usually escapes us. Of course, we did have to come back to civilization, so we made sure the day ended with fabulous food and some of the best gelato I’ve ever had.
This is precisely why a “vacation” restores energy and enthusiasm for life. No cell phone, no clocks. If you really do something like this, you will find faster restoration than a two-week vacation while checking your e-mail every day and answering your cell phone.
Good for you!
You know, Scot, it took a supreme effort of will to relax — even for a few hours. As a small business owner, you never can really turn it off (especially when your business provides service 24/7), but feeling the wind on my face as we came down Blackcomb in the open chair lift…that was definitely a bit of heaven and a good reminder of how important (and restorative) reconnecting with Nature (and disconnecting from electronics)is. No matter how you slice it, we are animals, and grass and trees and clean air is where we belong — instead of surrounded by concrete and pavement.
Gazing at the open spaces, the big blue sky, the rolling fields. Watching the cockatoos land in the trees, marvelling at the myriad of new green growth on burnt tree trunks as they show their amazing ability to regenerate after the devastating bush fires early in the year. A feeling of being able to breathe fully again. A sense of being refreshed by the very sight of green after so much black and grey and brown. Only an overnight trip out of the city into the countryside, but I have returned feeling renewed.
[...] remember the last time you spent a day without your cell phone, email or even a clock? Janet Wendy at GenPlus found a day at Whistler, BC, really was a reminder of our need for [...]