Day 184 of #LiveWell2017

I spent the past week on a grand adventure, visiting Alaska for the first time. One of the highlights of the trip was a flight into Denali National Park where we also took a guided hike near the Ruth Glacier. Our pilot (Chip from K2 Aviation) did a fabulous job of narrating our flight, sharing his knowledge and obvious love for Alaska and its wildlife with a riveting, running commentary. He was full of stories.

As we flew over the bright blue pools of the lower Ruth Glacier, Chip told a story (legend, perhaps?) about some photographers who came up to the glacier to dive into and photograph those blue pools. All was well and good until whatever was plugging up those pools (i.e. massive chunks of ice) shifted. Then the water in those pools got sucked under the glacier and the photographers with it. The story goes that they made it back out somehow and lived to tell about it, calling their experience an adventure rather than an ordeal.

Whether this story – or others like it – is true, I am unsure. But it certainly reminded me that, no matter what happens in our lives, we can all view our experiences as either ordeals or adventures. It really is all about our attitudes. We had some rainy days on our recent trip and could very easily have moaned and groaned, wishing for better weather, but the truth is that even in the rain (and maybe because of it) we saw some impressive wildlife and scenery. We chose an attitude of adventure and it made all the difference.

How has your attitude impacted your experience lately?