A Post a Day in May 2019 #21: Not epic, but grand

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I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.

Several years ago, I was trying to decide if I should fly to Victoria, BC from Winnipeg to attend the 5-year reunion of my master’s cohort from Royal Roads University. It seemed a long way to fly for a mere couple of days and evenings of revelry. I was torn, until I spoke to my good friend Miriam. 

She said, “It doesn’t have to be epic for you to make the effort. It’s just important that you take the trip.” And that decided it for me. Miriam was right: I would never again have another 5-year reunion, so this was a trip I should take. I booked the flight and hotel room, and I had a wonderful time reuniting with my classmates on beautiful Vancouver Island for a short weekend. 

I now apply that same philosophy to other ventures in my life: from the daily commute to work (a few blocks of walking is better than no blocks) to the more exceptional drive to the cottage (one night up there on the lakeshore is better than no nights hearing the wind and the waves). 

And so it was this long weekend. We only got ourselves up to Clifftop Cottage by Sunday late morning and we left Monday late afternoon, but those 30 or so hours were glorious — sunshine, birdsong, a few good meals, and a whole bunch of chores. 

It wasn’t an epic weekend, but it was a grand one, nonetheless. I hope your Victoria Day weekend was equally so. 

The view of Lake Winnipeg: always worth the drive

Beyond the point of no return No. 1

Beyond the point of no return No. 2

Thanks for reading. 

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Comments

  1. FintaMay 21, 2019 at 6:04 AM

    I really like painted paneling, and the room looks so bright and much larger. In the first picture it looks like the skyline of Toronto. So you could have stopped right there, sketched in the CN Tower, and called it a day. I always did think consideration should be given to forks in the road. Who knows which way the epic lies?



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    Replies
    1. Amanda Le RougetelMay 21, 2019 at 8:21 AM

      That is it, exactly, Finta/Ann: Who knows which way the epic lies?

      Delete
  2. PamelakatMay 21, 2019 at 10:32 PM

    Amanda, I love the theme of this essay! It's a concept that I too have stumbled upon and embraced over the past few years. Overthinking things and wanting to make them epic is just another way of describing perfectionism - that old bugaboo which ruins all the fun, quirkiness, and surprise in life. :)

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