I thought Niagara Falls would be at least three times as tall. That’s the problem with hype: it’s never as good as my imagination. My reaction to the Maid of the Mist, the famous boat tour to the waterfall, was that it was like paying twenty dollars to stand in a rainstorm. I was grateful for the excited reactions of people around me, yelling above the roar of the falls, “That’s So Cool!!” and “You can really feel the power of the falls from here!!” I had to acknowledge that the strength of the falls was pretty impressive. The other people’s elation made me start to appreciate the waterfall more.
In Arizona, I visited Meteor Crater. The attraction was basically a big hole in the ground. It started raining right after I arrived, while the temperature hovered just above freezing. Standing there, cold and wet, staring at a hole in the ground, I thought about how this time, I actually did pay twenty dollars to stand in the rain.
I met a woman there, Sylvia, who thought the crater was amazing. Eventually, her enthusiasm started to rub off on me. She was on a road trip with a friend, going on 61 days. Her husband of 40 years recently passed away. The friend she was with recently lost his mom. So they decided to take a grieving trip together. When passing through different states to explore natural wonders, they visited nearby family and friends, some Sylvia hadn’t seen in decades.
What a great idea! If you’ve just gone through a huge life-changing event and you’re emotionally shaken, why not take some time away from your routine, let the wind inflate your sails? Especially if you can share the odyssey with someone who experienced a similar circumstance. See if your grieving journey develops into a healing journey.