We recently packed the kids up in the car and headed to Vail to spend a few days with family. Living in Colorado, the mountain trip routine is one we know, but this time we did things differently.
Not necessarily on purpose. The craze of our family schedules leading up to the trip meant that while we set the dates and booked the stay, we didn’t plan much beyond that. At first some mom guilt crept in. I hadn’t planned a single activity! Then the trip handed me a surprise.
Sure, there was no itinerary. No grand schedule. We woke up each morning not sure what the day would hold.
And we found, we relished in it.
We savored the slow mornings. We cooked cozy meals in our room, just like at home. We played cards and watched comfort movies, letting the busyness of daily life slip away to instead focus on sharing a laugh or learning something new together.
When it was time to venture out, we enjoyed a free guided nature hike through the golden aspens. We ate a picnic by the creek, and watched our kids skip through the frigid mountain stream without a wince, peppering us with “Five more minutes!” once it was time to pack up.
And in a town as picturesque as those found in the Colorado Rockies, simply walking around to soak up the architecture of somewhere new, or finding a thoughtfully-designed nook, felt like an excursion.
The cherry on top? Enjoying one evening’s views from a beautiful restaurant patio, before sipping craft cocktails and devouring pasta. The views were free. The drinks, a departure from the free activities.
One afternoon, I stole away for a walk through the village, stopped into an ice cream shop, then meandered to the nearby creek to enjoy my waffle cone, one heaping strawberry scoop on top. I sat on a rock at the water’s edge and listened to it rushing by, dancing between islands of riverbed. Brilliant clouds flitted across the sky, and deep emerald pines flanking the river waved to me in the breeze.
This is how you ground yourself, I thought.
But then I found myself growing restless, and quickly. A working mom of three, I understood why: When your life is go go go, you forget how to slow down, even when you can. I’d lost the art of doing nothing.
Everything about this trip had asked us to slow down, to keep it simple, and here my brain was, fighting it.
I trained my eyes on the water and held them steady, seeking some sort of meditation in the hypnotizing flow. I absorbed the sounds nearby. The river, the forest, converging into green noise. I took note of the scents surrounding me — that famous crisp mountain air. I urged my mind to stay there, despite wanting to wander.
Gradually my breath, my heart rate, seemed to fall in stride with the world around me, and there it was: a slower pace. Finally, I let my mind wander, back through the past couple of days and the countless precious moments, no reservations required.
Having nothing to do but enjoy our family’s company — to be present with them and with our surroundings — was the best luxury I could ask for.
Perhaps you want to make it a budget trip all around, a task but not an impossibility near hubs like Vail, or perhaps keeping the agenda light allows for a splurge elsewhere in your plans. A special restaurant you’ve wanted to check off your foodie bucket list. An idyllic hotel that’s a destination in and of itself.
Whatever your fancy, our latest visit to the mountains reminded me that so often, less is more.