Colorado State of Mind

I cannot believe the month of June is coming to an end! Wow...crazy how fast time flies when you're having fun!
During this month I ventured from Denver and headed south to Colorado Springs for a couple of days. It was absolutely beautiful! My first adventure took me to Seven Falls which is located in the South Cheyenne Canyon where seven distinct cascades flow down the granite head of the canyon.

 

After my unexpected morning workout, I headed to the Garden of the Gods where giant red rock formations surround the beautiful mountains of colorado springs

Exhausted from my full day of hiking and sight seeing, I decided to spend the night and venture to Manitou Springs to ride the cog rail up to Pikes Peak.

 yellow-belly marmots playing on the tracks

 an hour 1/2 up the mountain on the train but it was well worth it!



A couple of days later I visited my amazing friends (i also consider family) in Carbondale Colorado which is 3hrs west of Denver. Definetly had white knuckles from gripping the steering wheel as it was a steep,windy path through canyons and over mountains but well worth it to spend a day and a half with my bestie.

Colorado has turned out to be the best travel assignment I've taken thus far but to be fair I am yet to go to Hawaii or the Virgin Islands so I'll have to see if I feel the same after taking assignments in those locations..... can't wait!!

A Simple Smile

I used to think I was performing acts of kindness daily while working with patients and helping them to function in their daily lives. However, lately I've had encounters with strangers who have given me a different perspective on acts of kindness.
Walking through the supermarket I smiled at a lady who seemed dishevelled and in a hurry. She approached me and asked if I knew where the cases of water were located. Not familiar with this supermarket, I began to look around when she stopped me and was complimenting me on my smile and beauty. Humbly I thanked her for the compliment. I have no idea how we got on this topic but she began to tell me she was a recovering alcoholic but sober for several years and today she was having a bad day. I usually do not strike up conversations with strangers so I was SO shocked when I commented.... "I take what I've been given everyday and I'm happy about it because a day wasted is a day being unhappy. I had a lot of wasted days in my life but lately I've realized that regardless of how I am feeling, the sun will set and the sun will rise, a new day will appear. So why waste it? She looked at me puzzled and asked "how does someone like you get to that point?" (not really sure what she meant by "someone like you", age,race,sex...i dunno) but i replied that my way of thinking changed when I began journaling about things I was grateful for and it was like a light bulb went off in her head and she couldn't stop smiling. I was kinda taken aback that I actually verbalized that to a stranger but our conversation ended with a hug and her card with contact info. A sense of peace overcame us both as we went our separate ways.

Who knew a simple smile would spark up this type of conversation?

As I found out later she is a renowned professional pianist who has played twice for President Gerald and Betty Ford. She has also performed with the likes of Merle Haggard, Mel Tillis and Chubby Checker.

So show those pearly white teeth of yours... you never know who can be affected by your smile!