“I’m enjoying the journey” was what I said to my husband on more than one occasion on our walking holiday in the Lake District last week. He has an amazing sense of direction and is a great map reader. I, on the other hand, sometimes struggle with my left and right! More often that not, I’d be quite a few paces behind, as he led the way. And he’d regularly need to stop, so that I could catch up. The reason for my lack of pace was because, now and again, for the first time on one of our holidays in Cumbria, I found myself wanting to enjoy the journey…rather than see how quickly we could reach the summit of the fell (aka mountain). So, what’s changed? I think I can put it down to two things:
- Studying photography – The courses I’ve attended have inspired me to really take in and appreciate my surroundings.
- Writing Flowerona – I always have my ‘flower radar’ on. And last week, I wanted to capture both the wild flowers on our walks and a general sense of our time away to share with you.
On reaching each summit, there was a real sense of achievement. But setting foot on the top of each fell was only a small part of our day, compared to the journey…three hours up and three hours down. This holiday I will remember for the light bulb moment of truly understanding the concept of ‘enjoying the journey’, which I’ve not quite got my head around before. I’ll fondly remember the beautiful bluebell woods, babbling brooks and bleating of newly born lambs. And as I continue to grow Flowerona, working towards achieving the big goals I’ve set, I’ll remind myself often to enjoy the process, one day at a time.
How often do you stop and take in your surroundings and appreciate each step you’re taking? Having a goal is important, but so is how you get there. I think we all rush around much too much…me included!
I hope you enjoy browsing through the photos below, which I took on my iPhone.
The Lake District is a stunning part of North West England and I highly recommend visiting the area if you’re looking for stunning scenery, peace and quiet.
P.S. A few recommendations if you’re visiting this part of the world…
- Restaurant : The Drunken Duck, near Ambleside
- Pub : The Britannia Inn in Elterwater
- Cafe : The Bluebird Cafe at Coniston
- Shop : Chesters at Skelwith Bridge
- Museum : The Ruskin Museum in Coniston
(Images : Rona Wheeldon for Flowerona)
WOW!! What a beautiful place and a beautiful reminder. Thank you, Rona! And thank you for always been inspiring to me.
Greetings from the sunny island Singapore! 🙂
Thank you Irene 🙂
This sounds very familiar to me as I’m always a good distance behind my husband. He pauses & waits and when I catch up with him he says – what are you doing? I say- I’m looking at the trees, the flowers, the birds, the way the mushroom is growing in the moss. Then I ask him what he is doing, in rush to the finish line?? There is just so much to see and take in..
Lovely photos! Especially love the stairs covered in moss.
Thank you Alicia :-).
Gorgeous pics Rona, and a timely reminder to stop and look back. Love the herdy lambs, the wild garlic and the low cloud. That’s how it should be 🙂
Thank you very much Emma :-).