Every cloud has a silver lining….
So being honest, last night wasn’t the best. I was taken back to my early parenting years as Stan required as much attention as a toddler. Don’t get me wrong I’m not cross with him … just exhausted. OK, maybe just a little bit cross.
As one might imagine Stan struggled to settle, so I struggled to settle. Around 4am I realised the only solution was to take him outside. But having left the lead in the kitchen I decided just to open the front door and let him out, confident that he would obediently return to me as soon as I called. What I did not know is that Stan was on a secret bone mission. Eating Coco’s dinner the night before simply wasn’t enough. As a result Stan was gone, nowhere to be found. Memories of the Blair Witch Project came to mind as eerie shadows cast their darkness over the garden and branches scarily scraped my cheek. I perservered through the garden to no avail. Eventually when said bone was discovered and I tore it from him we managed to get a good two hours of decent sleep.
In the morning it was evident that Stan’s shenanigans had also woken the lovely owners. That said, they were very understanding and haven’t barred us from returning on the way home. I will have to have a serious word with Stan about stealing Coco’s food though.
We were on the road before 8 to complete what is the longest leg of the journey. Some 7 hours to reach Chamonix. But it has gone surprisingly well. Such is the perceived ease of the journey it feels as if the car is static and the road is moving beneath us in a rotating world. And if you’re worrying or feeling sorry for Stan, please don’t. He used the travel time to catch up on his sleep. He was so quiet at one point I had to reach back and check if he was still alive. Besides the French seem to be remarkably well organised when it comes to dogs - or, at least, their toileting. If I’ve got this right the canisette pictured is a dog toilet. Now I’m sure all you responsible dog owners are excellent at commanding your dog to poo, but I’m afraid Stan and I haven’t mastered that yet. Maybe next year!
I’ve done this journey many times before but never like this! Over the brow of each hill a picture-perfect portrait of nature comes into sight ready to be painted. And around Troyes the sun came out so the sunnies came on. I don’t know about you but journey’s often get me contemplating where my own life is headed.
Without wishing to over use a cliche it really is true that life is a journey. In the past I believed that with excellent planning I could engineer that journey, make it reflect exactly what I wanted and lo and behold life would deliver. Until the WTF moments …
But in doing that, I always had one eye on the next stage. Looking for the next stage left me absent from what was happening right in front of me. I’m learning that life isn’t about planning, working and succeeding all the time. Because rarely do those plans work out as you imagined. When they do go wrong, the secret is in accepting those events as a rich part of your life. For a long time I wished things hadn’t been the way they were. Wished that it could have been different. But I’ve learnt to accept them as part of my journey. For if they hadn’t happened I wouldn’t be who I’ve become. And I’m different from the person who has made this and countless other journey’s in the past. Living without judgement, without wishing things were bigger or better or just different takes me one step closer to contentment. And at the end of the day that’s my focus - finding contentment. I hope that wasn’t too deep for some of you!
Oh and, of course, I have to share that the sun really did come out when we made it to Mont Blanc. What a wonderful sight.
Every cloud really does have a silver lining
An early morning, rainy start
Is this really a dog toilet?
Sunny Mont Blanc
