July has flown by, and I feel like I haven’t had a chance to enjoy my summer yet. We were away visiting family for two weekends in July, and of course hiking last weekend. I wouldn’t change any of that, but I feel like we haven’t had much time to rest and re-center. So I’m taking some time off in August, plus our summer vacation is coming up – a week in Yellowstone that’ll include a 3-day, two-night backpacking trip. (So excited!) More importantly, I’m acknowledging that life got a little more hectic than is sustainable over the last few weeks, and I’m going to slow down and enjoy these late summer days that are already becoming shorter and shorter.
Yesterday all of the busyness came to a head. We woke up at 3:00AM, planning to leave at 3:30 and be on the trail by 5:30. We were fully packed, and on schedule, but at the last minute, as I reached into my bag on the coat tree to grab my wallet… it wasn’t there.
You know that moment when you realize your wallet’s missing? Where the next few weeks of your life flash before your eyes? Cancelling credit and debit cards, getting a new driver’s license, insurance cards, and oh no, my work credit card was in there, too! And then there’s the retracing of steps. When do I last remember using it? At the grocery store? At my desk paying bills? Had anyone used any of my cards? App-checking. No, none of the cards had been used, so that was heartening. By then we’d decided to drive to my office to check. On the way I realized that I’d last taken it out of my purse to order a cake while at my office, so maybe it was still there. But also maybe it was stolen at a concert later that night.
At a few points in all of this I remembered to take a breath, and remind myself that none of this was that big a deal. I guess that in and of itself is a big deal – I don’t think my reaction would’ve been quite so calm a few years ago, and I wouldn’t have had the presence to notice myself starting to panic so that I could redirect my thinking. All that meditation is paying off!
On arrival, the place was locked down. (Mind you, it was 4:00 AM at this point.) I’d expected security at the front desk, but none of the the revolving doors were even available. I searched for a security number, but no luck. How do I not carry building security’s phone number?
Eventually we gave up and drove home, (though it turns out there was a call box near the door if I’d only investigated a little more closely). I’d come back later – at a more reasonable hour. We’d given up on hiking at that point, anyway. There was little chance we could finish before dark.
When I returned to my office, I did find my wallet. I’d distractedly slipped it into a black tote bag that was next to my black bag. Everything was in it. Everything was fine, except our hiking plans.
We decided to make the best of it, though, and spent a rare Saturday leisurely shopping for beads (me, not Jeff, though he was patient about it) and supplies for our upcoming Yellowstone backpack. We went out for lunch. (Waffles!) Then we took Rio to a local nature preserve for some play time. All in all, it turned into a lovely day, and one that was far more relaxing and restorative than the 17ish mile hike we’d planned.
Maybe we weren’t supposed to climb Cliff that day. Maybe that misplaced wallet was just the Universe saying, “Slow down. Pay attention. Be present.”
And so, we were.
Carri Manchester 