Parenting is like Rafting the Grand Canyon

Have you ever taken advice from a river?  Well, if not, you should...

The summer of 2011 presented itself with an opportunity of a lifetime. I was about to raft the Grand Canyon!  I was a little hesitant, but my adventurous spirit was ready for it even though my mind wasn't fully prepared.  I didn't REALLY plan for this, but I went along for the ride with an open mind and a willingness to do whatever was needed along the way. Sure, I read a couple of books, checked out websites, and actively communicated with our group before we set sail.  But I didn't realize what I was getting into until I was on the river.  (I am still not sure I have fully processed that... I mean, it was the Grand Canyon.)  It took fifteen years to get a private permit to do a self guided trip down the river.  The original crew had it in the works for a long time. I was gratefully added on a couple years before the trip was scheduled.  My boyfriends family lovingly invited me along.  And so, I rafted the Grand Canyon for one week in August, and hiked out of the canyon from the river to the top! 

I did it.  But not alone.  I survived, and let me tell you, there was a second when I wasn't sure I would.  I lived in the moment. I embraced what was around me.  All of it.  The beauty, the terror, the energy, the peace, the journey, the everything.    

Looking over the Grand Canyon at Unkar Delta

A few years later, here I am.  Reflecting on where I was, where I am, and all in between.  As I write, I hear the voice of my sweet little daughter saying "mama, mama" eagerly wanting to show me her book.  I am a parent now.  At times I still can't believe it, but I am doing it.

While I was rafting, I remember wondering if my boyfriend (now husband) and I would ever be parents.  I wondered if we would share this marvelous and fascinating national park with a child.   Now that motherhood is in full swing, I can honestly compare this parenting gig to rafting the Grand Canyon.  

It's a wonder. There are moments when my breath has been taken away.  There are times that I have been terrified, for my life, and for others around me. I've experienced the most serene moments on the river and as a mother.  I have found strength and courage I didn't know existed before these events occurred.  These two adventures have undoubtedly allowed me to live in the moment, because that is all that matters.  

There is a connection, a bond that is felt rafting that mother-of-a-canyon, as well as mothering a child. 

I have flipped.  What parent hasn't lost it from time to time?  But really,  our raft flipped in one of the biggest rapids on the Colorado River.  (That is a whole other story in itself.)  But, we just pick up the pieces, pull ourselves together, and continue on the journey. 

Hance Rapid: scouting the rapid moments before we flipped... right there!

You can prepare, read, discuss, map out, and plan, but until you are living it, you don't really know what to expect.  (Even then, we still don't know. We just do it.) It takes a crew, a team, or a support system to make it from one point to the next.  We need our village to share in all the ups and downs, stillness and chaos, excitement and questions, and encouragement along the way. 

Needless to say, parenting to me feels like rafting through this immense, intense, magnificent, and natural beautiful wonder of the world. 

It reminds me to take advice from a river while rafting through this parenting pilgrimage:

-go with the flow: the water can change at any moment, around any corner. 

-immerse yourself in nature: soak up your surroundings.

-slow down and meander: enjoy the ride.

-go around the obstacles: if you can't go around, hit them head on with all you've got and hope for the best.

-be thoughtful of those downstream: be mindful of the mark you make for the next generation.

-stay current: be present.

-the beauty is in the journey: yes it is!

Bright Angel Trail: half way to the top of the canyon!