Live Courageously!

Seizing those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities

The bucket list. We all know what it is, most of us have one of our own and on rare occasion you are presented with an opportunity to check one of those bucket-list items off. Such an occasion presented itself to me rather unexpectedly. 

Ever since Colorado became my home, over 30 years ago, I have been a whitewater enthusiast.  One of my favorite outdoor activities in the summer is to be on the river, in particular, rafting.   When I’m on the river, I’m immersed in my passion of rowing my raft — out in nature, on the water, feeling so peaceful and full of joy!  My passion of rafting has fed my dream of one day rafting the Grand Canyon.  Twenty-three days and 279 miles of unplugged time to commune with nature and take in the breathtaking Grand Canyon and Colorado River.   In early September, when a friend called me up, told me that a spot had become available on their Grand Canyon private trip, I couldn’t believe it – it felt surreal.  The catch?  We would be leaving in less than 2 weeks!  

Preparing for any trip in less than 2 weeks is a bit of a rush, but for a trip that would put me out of contact for 23 days from my business, my family and my fur-babies, that sort of thing gives you pause for thought. I gave myself the weekend to think it over. Honestly, I didn’t even need that long. I am of the mindset that when you are presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity, you take it and work out the logistics to the best of your ability with the time that you have to prepare.

Here’s the thing; there are a million reasons to let that sort of opportunity pass you by – we have just launched our new brand, we are headed into the holidays (one of our busiest times of the year), we are in the height of festival season…and the list goes on. Recognizing the opportunity as a time to invest in yourself, to fulfill a bucket list dream, and to seize the moment…now THAT is courageous. And that is exactly what I want to be – courageous in life and in business.

The trip was…amazing, inspiring, and life changing – to say the very least.  Here are a few highlights of our adventure!

Lisa with Carole – Rafting Grand Canyon – Wow!  We are really here!

 

Hance Rapid – First big rapid – Oh boy, here comes the rapids!

 

Hiking to the Tabernacle – what a view!   The hiking in the Grand Canyon is as amazing as the river!

 

Lisa Camping – We slept under the stars most nights, only needed the tent 3 nights!

 

Lisa in Mud – I love the mud!  We hiked a wash and found this lovely pool and waterfall at the end.

 

Scouting Crystal Rapid – Wow!  Those are some BIG holes to navigate around, through – yikes!

 

Looking downstream from camp in the Grand Canyon

 

Cooling down in a side creek, I love being in water… so full of gratitude and appreciation!

 

Here are some resonating thoughts from my bucket list trip:

 

Go with the flow!  Our lives ebb and flow like a river, sometimes calm and peaceful and other times turbulent and challenging… It’s fun and OK to catch eddy’s and take a break too!

 

Every day is a new day – we can choose to start fresh and try something new!

 

Life is full of choices.  Don’t let the craziness of life give you an excuse to let a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass you by.  

 

Honor your passions and seek your authentic self – we are all unique and full of life!

 

Last, but not least, live courageously, and know the rest will follow…

 

and remember…  Things are always working out!

 

Written by Jessica Mitchell and Lisa Scheerer