Thanks to the generosity of a close friend, my family got to get away this week for a much needed few days of downtime up in Big Bear, CA. We are staying in a sweet little condo with a full kitchen, fireplace and patio. Janny and I came up for a weekend retreat I was speaking at a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. While that was a good time, this has been a GREAT time with zero responsibility.
Although, it is only a few hours from San Diego, it might as well be half way around the globe. Being a product of California coastal communities my whole life, I didn’t really consider the need for chains on this trip. After all, it is only 3 hours from the always-warm San Diego. After successfully driving our little Nissan, 1.8 liter hatchback up the 7000 foot mountain, it began to snow…REALLY snow.
Within a few hours of our arrival, we quickly realized we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while. It snowed for nearly 2 days straight and we were completely snowed in. There would be no running errands, no eating out, no site seeing, the only option was to simply stay right where we were. And it…was…brilliant.
There is something sacred about being “stuck” somewhere with those you love most. We live pretty hectic lives. I’m not proud of that and it is something I struggle to acknowledge and change on a regular basis. When you’re snowed in, you have no option for chaos. Janny, Ruby and I simply hung out together all day for two days straight. We watched movies, read, prayed, ate, walked in the snow and even found a hot tub to sneak into. It has been exactly what we needed.
Live a hectic life? Feel a bit disoriented from all the chaos of responsibility?
My advice: GET SNOWED IN. Even if that means you have to pile ice cubes around your front door and car tires.