Our family has been blessed with some wonderful travel memories over the years. Travel will be transitioning to college visit trips, with much of our travel budget over the next 6-8 years hanging on the hopes of good scholarship money! As the primary trip planner and organizer, not to mention chief photographer (let’s face it, often the only photographer, resulting in my handing the camera to some stranger at least once every trip and asking, “would you take a photo so that when I am gone they remember that mom was on the trip, too?”), I have learned a life lesson or two along the way, which I find are best expressed through some of the photos from our travels:

1. Hearkening to Mary Oliver’s sage advice, be amazed and allow yourself to experience the wonder of things.

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is known for the classic images of buffalo walking down or across a highway, blocking traffic. We would come across these scenes as we visited the Park one summer. The scene we were met with one evening, though, really left an impression. We were stopped in our tracks along the roadway, cars backed up as far as the eye could see, as the sky turned pink and purple with the sunset. The buffalo were not just meandering down or across the road, but instead were making their way to their evening grounds, crossing the river as they snorted, stomped, and called to each other, young bison in tow and swimming alongside their mothers. Buffalo after buffalo after buffalo, until the sky was dark. A wondrous sight, I can still hear one of my sons saying with pure astonishment in his voice, “this is a once in a lifetime experience.” Yes, yes, it was.

“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
― Mary Oliver

2. Don’t give up; while the journey may be long and hard, the goal is often worth the effort.

We traveled to Yellowstone National Park when my youngest son had just turned nine. He was not always our most willing and enthusiastic participant when it came to hiking, but we figured the views from the top of Mt. Washburn were worth the 3-mile uphill climb from the Dunraven Pass trailhead. The hike was noted by the National Park Service to be “strenuous” with a 1,400 feet (425 m) vertical rise to the summit at 10,243 feet (3,122 m) above sea level, and we knew he was more than capable of handling the demands of the hike itself.

What do my husband and I remember about that hike? We recall the three solid, often seemingly endless, uphill miles of complaining from my younger son. Times like this try a parent’s patience. But, perseverance paid off, and we were rewarded with some of the most awe-inspiring, 360-degree views of Yellowstone National Park from the summit. At the top, I had another traveler take our family’s photo — three of us are grinning with the beautiful vista in the background, and the fourth member of this family is glowering at the camera. The woman who took the photo for me asked if I wanted her to take another with my youngest son smiling, and I told her neither of us had that much time . . .

After enjoying the views, my husband and younger son returned to the trail for the three-mile descent first, while my oldest waited with me as I stood in line for the limited restroom facilities. We figured we would have no problem catching up with them, given the foot-dragging that occurred with the uphill journey. The Dunraven Pass trailhead consists of numerous switchbacks on the trail, and the only time we even caught a glimpse of my husband and younger son was one or more switchbacks below us, as my older son and I descended. Reaching the bottom, I was met with a big grin from my younger son, proud of his accomplishment (and I think even more happy with the fact it was over)!

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” ~ Winston S. Churchill

3. Teach your children that our natural world is more entertaining than any movie or video game.

Our world is full of screen-time pursuits, and certainly many of them have some value, if not pure entertainment. Computers are often necessary for our employment and day-to-day life activities. Technology is part of the fabric of our world now. Because of this, it is even more important than ever that we teach our children and the next generations of the essential, critical elements we receive from the natural world. No technology, no matter how advanced and sophisticated, can replace the simple joys of traipsing through the woods, smelling the pine needles, watching for wildlife, and appreciating the complexity and interconnectedness of nature without any meddling by man.

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” ~ Rachel Carson

4. Be kind to everyone and everything, wherever you are.

Arriving in Rome, what was one of the first stops of interest for my youngest son? The cat sanctuary. As we have traveled, he remembers the cats he has met along the way — the feral cat colony in San Juan, the cats outside Ostia Antica’s gates, the little cat who sat and listened to our tour guide at the Colosseum. Kindness and a gentle spirit can go a long way in solving the world’s ills. I recently saw this quote on Sriram Janak’s Facebook page (he has a wonderfully inspiring photo-blog here) and it seems a fitting start to the new year:

We have a whole new year

Ahead of us. . . Could we all be

A little more gentle with

Each other and a little more

Loving, have a little more

Empathy, and maybe – next …

Year at this time – we’d like

Each other a little more.

~ Judy Garland

5. Be adventurous and stretch the edges of your comfort zone.

Mesa Verde National Park's Balcony House — Mesa Verde National Park’s Balcony House (note the ladders on the far left toward the top of the cliff and the far right just below the arch-shaped dwelling)

Ladder to Balcony House at Mesa Verde National Park

Our camping trip to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado was the result of one of our sons learning about Mesa Verde in his 3rd grade class. I admit it was not even on my radar screen for travel destinations at the time, several years ago. One of the most interesting aspects of a visit to the Park is touring the various cliff house dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans. While in the Park, we toured both the Cliff Palace and Balcony House ruins.

The ranger-guided tour of the Balcony House is described as follows on the National Park website:

Balcony House
Adventurous Cliff Dwelling Tour
This one-hour, ranger-guided tour involves climbing a 32 ft. ladder, crawling through a 12ft.-long tunnel, and climbing up a 60 ft (20m) open rock face with two 10 ft (3m) ladders to exit the site.

Mind you, we had one son who had shown some trepidation with heights. While the description of the ladders may not seem too intimidating, when you see their placement in the context of the larger cliff dwelling, you may understand why my husband and I exchanged looks of some concern as the ranger said at the start of the tour, “Now is not the time to ignore your fear of heights. There is no turning back once you start the tour.”

On we went, cautioning our son to not look down and keep moving forward whenever presented with one of the ladders. I think I showed more concern with heights as my legs trembled and I clung to the sides of the ladder while crawling up the open cliff face — glancing over one’s shoulder at the drop to the valley below left one amazed that today’s lawsuit-crazed society would still allow such a tour to proceed. Thankfully, these tours do still exist, because it gave us an appreciation of the demands of living in such isolated, precarious dwellings, and brought to life the history surrounding them. When we finished the tour, my son beamed, the interesting facts and surroundings overcoming any fear of heights that day.

“Make your choice, adventurous Stranger,
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.”
~C. S. Lewis

6. Appreciate the little things in life.

Ask this family what they remember about the Oahu Polynesian Cultural Center’s luau, and it’s not the dancing, the music, or the food — instead, it’s the loss of a first tooth in a bite of purple taro roll. The picture says it all.

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

7. Set your plans aside from time to time and just enjoy the present.

While spending time in New York City over Christmas, we had planned on extensively exploring the American Museum of Natural History, and I wanted to sing Christmas carols in Washington Square Park under the Arch on Christmas Eve. The list of potential sights and stops was infinite. However, as my oldest son and I left the hotel at about 9:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve Day, planning a short run through Central Park to see the Mall and a couple of its famous statues, before heading to the Reservoir for a lap, the morning unfolded in a more leisurely way, and we did not find our way back to the hotel for several hours. Stopping to look at a fascinating tree and other interesting flora, listening to the music at Bethesda Terrace, geocaching along the way and making time for my son to stretch his legs at his speed (rather than mine) around the famous Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. . . I scrapped caroling and we shortened time at the Natural History Museum, but I cannot imagine time better spent than we did that day, leaving our itinerary behind.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

8. Let music fill your soul and mark your memory.

While alternating running and geocaching (a/k/a walk breaks for mom) in Central Park that morning of Christmas Eve, my son and I stood on Bethesda Terrace looking down on the Fountain and heard almost ephemeral classical music wafting through the air. We jogged down the steps and came across this duo, setting the tone for our Christmas Eve as we listened to several beautifully-played tunes. I was reminded of the intertwined memory of music and Sainte-Chapelle as my son and I reluctantly continued on our leisurely run through the Park, and Vivaldi faded in the distance.

“Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.” ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

9. Don’t dwell on the past, but study and respect what we have learned from those who lived before us.

Standing on Little Round Top at Gettysburg National Military Park on a dreary December day, one could not help but reflect on the lessons learned from this nation’s bloody Civil War. Each chapter of history has something to tell us — sometimes we may not like the lessons we take away, but they are important to learn, nonetheless. Actually standing on the ground where these historical events unfolded helps to reinforce and bring some understanding to the stories, lessons, and tragedies that make this world what it is and the people in it who they are.

History balances the frustration of “how far we have to go” with the satisfaction of “how far we have come.” It teaches us tolerance for the human shortcomings and imperfections which are not uniquely of our generation, but of all time. ~ Lewis F. Powell, Jr.

10. La vita e breve — life is short.

We have no regrets that we made our trip to Italy a reality, even though it seemed a pipe dream when first mentioned late one night at dinner club over a glass (or perhaps there was more than one involved) of red wine. The memories are priceless. Don’t be afraid to say “I love you” and give hugs freely, savor and protect good health, take that dream trip earlier rather than later, if you can.