Omayra Acevedo, Peak to Peak. There are experiences in life that make you feel as if you’re being tested. For me, it has been one thing after the other since the pandemic began. October will prove to be the most difficult month yet. How so? If you’ve been keeping up with my column, you may recall that several years ago, I lost the truest friend I had ever known. She was my mother. On the fifth of October, she would have turned 70. To add icing on the cake, the anniversary of her death also lands on the same month. Sigh. What’s a girl to do? I keep thinking that all of the challenges I am facing are for the sake of testing my patience. Well, Mr. or Ms. Patience Tester, you win. I’m slowing down. 

Being surrounded by the influence of nature, you would think I’d know better by now. Snow takes time to accumulate, rainstorms can take hours to flood a town; ponds and lakes remain undisturbed all their lives. Let’s not forget the flowing waterways with the ability to adapt and change their pace from one season to the next. If they can do it, why can’t I? During my trip to Vail, I was able to spend some time with the Colorado River – not to be confused with the one in Texas. Did you know that the river is 1,450 miles long? It also runs through Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California and of course, our colorful state. 

I know a man who grew up on the water, canoeing, sailing, floating on innertubes, swimming, and is now an avid Colorado River rafter. I’m a little envious. I grew up in a zoo surrounded by skyscrapers, sirens, gun shots instead of fireworks during the Fourth of July, and horror that most people will only see in movies. Feasibly, the reason why I love my life in the Rocky Mountains so much. Solitude, solace, persistency, resiliency, and comfort in knowing that whatever the human world does to the rivers, they will make an effort to keep running - they never give up. This is what draws him to the river. This got me thinking.

Perhaps, I should remind myself to be more like the river and realize that slowing down doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I can choose to find beauty and opportunity in all my struggles. All I have to do is remain focused and remember what Matt, my dearest companion, once said to me: one of the most unique aspects of spending time in the river is that you are propelled through these magical landscapes at the true pace of nature.

(Originally published in the October 15, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)