Make the Journey Count
This summer, amidst jobs, volunteering, packing, and family commitments, a few friends and I took a day trip to Jasper, Alberta.
I was back in my hometown of Edmonton for the summer, and the drive to Jasper is about four hours one way. It was a last minute idea, and our planning mostly consisted of hitting up the grocery store the night before and frantically cooking and prepping from our respective houses, hours before we left.
7am rolled around with my Marimba Hotline Bling mashup ringtone warning me and Ivy that our ride was on its way. Five people, plus the world’s sweetest dog Hershey, piled into Ali’s bright red pickup truck and we headed for Highway 16 (after an obligatory Timmy’s stop).
The drive between Edmonton and Jasper is very easy. It’s almost a straight line out of the west side of the city, and divided for most of the way. It gets a little trickier once you hit the Rockies, but in terms of mountain driving, its really not too bad. Add in an aux cord, good friends, and Hershey? It was good vibes all around.
The thing about a day trip to Jasper from Edmonton is that its only four hours there. But then it’s also four hours back. For those of you not fond of math (like me), that’s a ridiculous eight hours of driving to picnic and kayak at Pyramid Lake for a couple of hours.
Even though I got the back middle seat for most of the way, and suffered from some mild h-anger, it was still the highlight of my summer. Not only because Pyramid Lake is one of my favorite places in the world, and not only because me and Hershey fell in love.
It was the eight hours I spent stuffed in Ali’s trusty red truck. My legs cramped, it was never the right temperature, and I got mildly carsick, but the carpool karaoke, the conversations, and the laughs made the journey the best part.
This whole story got me thinking, there’s that cliche that ‘it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.’ And you know what? Cliches are cliches for a reason. And this particular cliche can be applied to anything.
Don’t just enjoy the surfing, enjoy the drive to Tofino. Don’t just enjoy wearing your cap and gown, enjoy as much of your university experience as you can. Don’t be complacent in your life either; actively try to find enjoyment and happiness and gratitude in every day you live your life.
It might sound cheesy, and it might sound easier said than done, but really, your entire life is one big journey, so you might as well make it count, right?
