Beach or Mountains?

Beach or Mountains? Have you ever been asked that question before, you know, which one do you prefer? For me it’s a no brainer, I don’t even have to think about the answer, I know what brings me that amazing sense of peace, calmness & joy. Eight trips out of ten, I’ll easily pick the mountains. Throw in a large wooden cabin on a lake in the mountains, and that’s my dream house. Recently, I took that dream vacation out west, as we went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Grand Tetons National Park, followed by several days in Yellowstone National Park. We were on the go every day, including several days of 6+ mile hikes plus other activities. And it was relaxing as ever, and the most beautiful place I have ever been.

Mountains are magical to me, one of God’s creates creations and to see these large jagged mountains reaching into the sky as the Tetons did, it was an incredible view. I’m pretty sure if I lived there, I would never get sick of it (don’t worry, I don’t plan to move plus the 12-feet of snow they get each winter certainly is not my thing), but I think I could handle more vacations out there. There were so many hikes I wanted to do, yet didn’t have time for. And then to see the miles upon miles of flat biking and hiking trails through the valley, I really want to go back sometime just to run on those trails.

In our travels, we saw beavers, plenty of birds, incredible flowers, and of course bison and moose, both with babies alongside them. I thought of those babies, and appreciated the beauty of their life. They were born in the wild, with no hospital, no epidural, no Pitocin, no c-section, they were just born as nature intended. Life is a miracle and animals prove that all the time. And that’s one thing I really love about nature … is that it just happens. No one tells the trees to grow leaves, or the snow to melt and create a huge waterfall, these things just happen. It is life. And too many times we don’t really appreciate what is going on out there in this magical world of ours. And that same intelligence that makes nature happen in the mountains, is the same intelligence that makes your body function. It needs no instructions, it just happens. And our bodies work best if there is nothing interfering with that intelligence.

What can interfere with that intelligence? Toxic food, toxic medications, vertebral subluxation are the top three things that come to mind. The animals in the wild are going to be sick or possibly die if they eat “people food” that we leave behind. Food that is not meant for them, that is filled with artificial colorings or additives. While medications are often necessary and helpful, they too can interrupt our normal functioning, and then our body naturally fights the medication, instead of fighting whatever the problem is. And then subluxations in the spine can interfere with the normal and ideal function of the nervous system, thus inhibiting a person’s ability to function and perform as ideally as possible.

Nature doesn’t need help, it just doesn’t need interference. And when we appreciate nature, we can appreciate life.

Traveling has always been something I love to do, I love exploring this beautiful country of ours, seeing new sights, taking lots of photos and just experiencing new places. Last year my travel pretty much shut down, and I’m hoping things don’t get too crazy in this world that I can continue those travels going forward. Sure, I’ll take a beach vacation every now & then (and with family in Florida it is something we do more often lately), but the mountains are my sense of peace & serenity. The mountains make me happy. They help me feel relaxed. Luckily, we have beautiful hikes and mountains only 1-2 hours from us in North Georgia, and those little hikes and views of the mountains do bring me joy, especially since they are close by. It’s the mountains of the west that keep calling to me…hopefully someday I’ll make it to Yosemite National Park, Glacier National Park, and even back to the Tetons.

I’ll share below some of the top photos from our trip, as well as putting some on our office Facebook page the week of July 5th.

So, what is your sense of peace? What makes you happy? Are you more of a beach person, or a mountain person? Whatever it is, make sure you find that happy place, get a little of it every month or every year, even if it is in your mind. Close your eyes, imagine you are there, eliminate your worries, visual your surroundings, get a sense of rejuvenation and then plan on making that trip come true someday.