mariakoropecky Have you ever gone on a road trip? Road trips are a great adventure. You get to pick a city and pile into a car with your gear and snacks. Don’t forget the tunes! Who cares if you don’t know exactly what’s ahead, what the weather will do, which diners will be open, where you’ll sleep – it’ll all work out and if not, you’ll have a story to tell. The secret is, it’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.
In March of 2020, I had to leave Calgary, Alberta in a quick hurry for reasons related to COVID-19 so I packed all of my worldly positions into my winter dirty, white car and headed West to Victoria, British Columbia.
My road trip would involve 2 days of driving through the Rocky Mountains and a ferry ride to the island.
I left Calgary on March 30, 2020. It was a snowy day but I wasn’t concerned because I had gotten used to winter driving.
The roads were clear, traffic was light and the views were spectacular until all of a sudden, I saw a charcoal grey cloud hovering between the mountain peaks ahead.
“That can’t be snow,” I thought. “Snow clouds are dark blue. That’s a rain cloud.”
And then somewhere before Golden, on a high mountain pass, the sky opened up and huge snowflakes hurled against my windshield.
I spotted 5 semis pulled over on the shoulder and briefly thought, “Should I pull over too?”
Too late, I passed the rest area. I had no choice but to keep driving up the mountain. There was no turning back now.
As my windshield wipers flailed back and forth and my hands gripped the steering wheel, I felt my tires slide slightly along the white road.
“Thank goodness I’m not going downhill!”
I kept going. As I remembered to breathe and focus on the road, I thought of all the people who care about me, who were with me in spirit during this white-knuckling stretch of road. I started singing the song, “Take it easy” by the Eagles to stay calm. I thought God wouldn’t bring me this far to take me out now and that I’d make it home safely.
After 15 minutes, the storm was behind me and I exhaled. A smile came over my face. “I did it!”
I was so proud of myself that I made it up that mountain in a fierce winter storm by myself without freaking out and I lived to tell the tale.
That night as I was falling asleep in my hotel room, a wave of love poured through my body. I felt more love for myself than I had ever felt before. I felt empowered and grateful and alive!
To top it off, my car received a spit-shine cleaning from the snow! Both of us were transformed!
So now I’m on a mission to help introverts, artists and writers so they can be free to take off, spread their wings and fly as well.
If you’d like to climb your own mountain, book a free blue sky coaching call with me today!
