The peace of the water

-

Water always brings me peace. The sun is on my face, but a brisk chilly wind is flapping my hair. So much in my personal life has me in turmoil lately, but here on this boat, the drone of a plane above and gentle hum of the boat motor accompany the low chatter of the other passengers and block everything out. The tranquility of the moment actually is bringing tears to my eyes. 

There are gentle ripples in the lake from the boat cutting through the water, and bells toll of in the distance. The scenery is beyond amazing. Steep hills, with colorful houses built in; gardens lining the shores; The crisp white Alps in the distance. Patches of sloped green grass dotting the view. 

Switzerland is absolutely stunning, and I'm so grateful for the small push I received to ensure I took this boat ride, especially after an incredibly early morning meeting contractors to fix the truck. R wrote me challenging me to leave my laptop and take the boat tour I wanted, especially in the perfect weather. And with his words of "you'll regret it if you don't" I had no choice but to make it. Once I transited my way to the boat launch though, I realized I had just missed the tour I wanted. There was a 90 min tour beginning in 30 minutes, and a 60-minute tour beginning in an hour. Either way, both tours ended at the same time (making it an insanely tight connection to get back to the hotel, pack my things, and then get to the train station in time!), but I reasoned out my life and #noregrets took the longer tour. I had managed to get a free 24-hr transit card from the hotel, so it was only about $5 to take the boat. The air was quite chilly, but it felt really good to feel the sting. The boat also had a full restaurant on board, which was lovely as I had consumed only a coffee on the truck, accompanied by a pastry I had procured the night before in anticipation of a lack of breakfast availability. I had some pasta, and ordered the ice cream cake as the day was too perfect not too. The credit card reader wasn't working on the boat, but the lady graciously took all the cash I had and let me go with essentially a 50% discount on the meal. 

The boat I was on was a water taxi. I hadn't expected an audio tour guide, and the absolute silence and stillness of the nature was exactly what my soul needed. There's something about mountains and water that I always find so therapeutic. Maybe it's the thought of how small I am compared to the mountains or water. The motion of the ocean always seems to pull out the worries and cares from my life and absorb it into itself. Whatever the explanation, I'm so grateful for this morning, and a few hours of peace and absolute happiness to recharge my soul for the weeks ahead. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What It Costs

-
I’m on the tram, just having finished watching the newest Superman. My first movie theatre in Europe experience. My eyes filled with tears several times during the movie as I recognized the scenes of my home. Terminal Tower, Soldiers and Sailors monument, and a lovely moment in the Galleria. I gasped when I saw Progressive Field panned in a shot as well. I remember walking on the Guardians bridge in the movie, and my heart leapt when I saw a shot of the city taken from one of my favorite Cleveland script signs. I recognized a scene shot in the lobby of the Tower City mall as well, a beautiful place my family frequented at Christmas. Tonight I miss my homeland. Like a lot. This Saturday I missed a coworkers wedding, where I would have seen so many colleagues who helped shape and build me into who I am today. Next week, I’ll miss another friend’s wedding, even though I triple checked flights and calendars to see if I could make it at all. This is the price of moving across an ocean. N...
Read more

My 12th BMT birthday

-
I’m standing on a street corner at 4am. My nose is running and my fingers biting with the cold wind blowing through my skirt and thin jacket. A long bird is trilling a song, oblivious to the stillness around me.  It’s my lone chance for solace for the next week. I read the texts that came in from Heidi as I leave my apartment and the cold and emotions bring the tears on the driveway.    This week.. wow. So much I haven’t written on some very strong emotional events, good and bad.  But this year I’ve been crazy reflective on transplant. I know my brain blocks the traumas and hurt but I still remember snippets of it. I remember the early morning wake ups for vitals and I remember silently lying there thinking. Did I make the right choice? Would the 50/50 chance work? Would I live? And now, I am sitting in a different country, with hair and a life. And a heart overflowing with gratitude for this life and the amazing people in it.  Sunday, I hosted a par...
Read more

Thank you, my friends.

-
 Dear N + A, R+U, Wow, what a weekend. I came off a super crazy busy stressful week of work. First in Luxembourg with a groundbreaking for the new building (the primary reason I moved to Lux!), dinner with my boss that night, and then a 4AM taxi pick-up for a 6AM flight to Milan for our first ever client conference event in Europe. Intense doesn't begin to describe it. On my feet walking all day, and standing for hours on end- I was in Milan, but it wasn't "fun". I was going to skip the optional walking tour of Milan the last day, to simply sit for a bit, but as my colleagues had other urgent tasks, I got pressed into joining one of the tour groups. I swear I couldn't feel my feet at the end of the afternoon! Saturday I toured the Duomo, then caught the train to Verona. I had hoped to sleep, but a friendly old New England lady found the seat across from me and ensured a chatty trip. I walked out of the train station, weary in body and soul, summoning the energy to...
Read more