Let the Colorado fun continue …
On the evening of Day 5 of our family adventure, we had the quintessential holiday experience in snowy Colorado: a horse-drawn sleigh ride. It. Was. Magical.
Imagine, pulling up to a wooden and stone lodge glistening with twinkle lights and full of holiday spirit. Then, being greeted by the host of the lovely restaurant and led to the bar for a cup of hot apple cider. Yum.
Gorgeous Christmas tree at the Timber Hearth Lodge
While drinking your cider, you walk outside to a roaring fire in the fire pit. You meet your fellow sleigh riding companions … and hop onto the red and green sleigh for the ride of your dreams.
Now I know why there are holiday songs with odes to “one-horse open sleighs.” Being pulled around the hills of Colorado by not one, but TWO amazing horses was nothing short of breathtaking. These white and brown beauties were the stars of the evening. Sharing their gifts in such generous ways.
The best part? Watching my 11-month-old son Sean pet the horses … and seeing his face light up at being around such gentle, powerful creatures. He was enthralled by the horses … and so was I. I stopped to pet the long strip between their eyes and nose. I looked into their big, peaceful eyes. I thanked them for their service and gentle natures. I told them how special they are. I was so grateful to them for giving me a memory that will forever be etched in my mind.
Magic moment
I find that there are moments in time that are so beautiful, so pure, so magical that I sometimes ask myself if I’m “allowed” to be having this much fun … if I’m allowed to be this happy … this lucky … this free. Like I have to ask someone if what I’m doing is “okay.” It’s odd. Does this ever happen to you?
Then I remember that I’m an ADULT (sometimes I still feel like a “kid”) and a parent … and it’s my JOB and RIGHT to create whatever life I want for myself … even if this life is different from the “norm” or what my parents did or whatever. This realization is so … liberating. One of those “whoa” moments.
My hope for you? That you go out, embrace newness, embrace beauty, embrace adventure, embrace connection. It’s a surefire way to remember you are ALIVE.
Oh ya, and have a sleigh ride in the snow …
* So, ever have a magical, “sleigh ride in the snow”-type moment? What was it? How are you creating these experiences on a regular basis? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. See you there!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The moment that I thought of first was a very early morning earlier this year… I was riding an elephant out of the forest as the sun came up, a common practice at the elephant conservation center/hospital in Thailand where I was staying. I remember thinking “really? REALLY? This is my life?” It was magical, and so different than what I’d been doing even a month earlier (drafting contracts at a desk). Very cool.
The most important way for me to capture some of that magic now is to remember the feeling from before and then, like you, physically create time and space to allow it again. To say regularly, “what pure pleasure experience will I plan for myself?” It takes practice, but leads to [at least] moments of perfection.
@Kelly: I want to go to Thailand and ride on an elephant! It sounds magical, magical, magical. Yes, this is YOUR life. Here’s to creating moments to remember as much as humanly possible … like today when I went to Hello Cupcake on Connecticut and had a “Lucy.” I’m a cupcake connoisseur so this was amazing for me. I give your town 2 thumbs up on the cupcakes. Sometimes the little things are the big things. xoxo