Do you ever set out for one purpose and marvelously the journey transforms into something entirely better?
Yesterday, I met up with a friend to skin up a ski trail to an overlook of our town. “Skinning” is when you put a type of “skin” on the bottom of your ski so that you can walk uphill on the snow without sliding backwards. It’s physically challenging and takes you to beautiful places in nature you won’t see from a chairlift. I viewed yesterday mornings’ skin as a step toward another goal—physically preparing for a longer ski trip.
My energetic friend suggested that we detour from our usual route and explore a side trail. I was totally game. But then she hesitated. Maybe she expected me to be the calm voice of reason and come up with a rational point why we should play it safe and stick to our routine. She asked another hiker’s opinion. She pulled up a map on her phone. Finally, she was satisfied with a direction and off we went. She consulted her phone’s GPS multiple times while I was content to wing it. I grew up in the mountains and am probably too trusting of the forests and trees and my intuition. After a short distance, we skied through a meadow toward a grove of aspens. There was something connecting the trees. As we moved closer, I could see colored fabric fluttering. Eventually, we saw multiple strands of Tibetan prayer flags. The soft breeze blew the flags gently, carrying their blessings up the mountain into the sky. I wondered if there were prayers for the people of Ukraine. It felt like we were drawn there that morning to witness the blessings and the uplifting energy of this beautiful spot on the mountain. I wanted to pause and breathe it in, breathe in the blessings the wind carried from each flag…heaven, air, fire, water and earth all represented by the array of colored fabric.
When we reluctantly skied away from the magical spot, the world felt different. The sky felt bluer, the sun’s warmth more warming, the meandering path through the trees more mystical. I didn’t feel the exertion of the uphill climbing, only the wonder of the day. As we headed back down the mountain, we skied by this enchanted grove of trees, again. I could discern an image of a horse on some of the colored flags: The “Wind Horse” or the “Wish Fulfilling Jewel of Enlightenment.” The horse is said to carry the prayers of beneficial intentions from earth to heaven with the wind. Today it had carried us from our known routine to an unplanned encounter, something unexpected and new. It was such a good reminder to not be afraid of change, to embrace each moment for what it may have to offer.
When we skied into the open meadow of undisturbed snow, I savored the rare opportunity to ski in fresh unmarked snow, the opportunity to be in nature, spend time with a friend and feel the prayers float by me as the wind brushed my cheeks. I offered my own prayer for the Earth and its people. And a prayer of gratitude for the Unexpected.
