We recently drove 8 hours south to visit Wellington. Instead of taking the same route home, we decided to stop a few times along the way and stay at Airbnb homes to break the trip up and to see more of New Zealand. We were on the last leg of the trip. It was a gray and rainy day and we were in the traveling groove. The kids were quietly watching a show on their devices, I was dozing in the passenger seat, and my husband was the smoothly navigating us through the windy roads. Just as we approached Tauranga, the rain stopped, the sun poked out, and Mt. Maunganui stood out and welcomed us. This was when my husband got the idea to have an impromptu hike up Mt. Maunganui.
Now, I was completely content with continuing to doze. The kids were happy relaxing. But when my husband sees any opportunity to do something different, he likes to take it. It took some convincing, but eventually we all rolled out of the car, grabbed our hiking shoes, packed a quick backpack full of snacks and water, and slapped on our hats and started to move.
Five out of six of us were not in the hiking zone. We were still trying to wake ourselves up. Some of us were groaning and complaining but we kept moving. We climbed lots and lots of stairs and continued to walk up the steep mount. But the further we climbed, the prettier the view. We were surrounded by green bush, blue sea, puffy white clouds, and gorgeous views. It was breathtaking!
Isn’t it funny how when we don’t want to do something hard, it almost always turns out to be worth it? We didn’t really want to get out of our comfy car and climb a steep mountain, but we did. And it was beautiful. And it was hard and worth it. Once we hit the top, the kids loved exploring. I loved sitting peacefully and enjoying the scenery. My husband loved droning. It was the perfect day to be at the top of that mountain. And we almost missed out because we were nice and comfortable. Try to push yourself outside of that little comfort zone of yours a bit more. You will experience more and have a more fulfilling life.
Of course, having bribed our kids with ice cream worked like a charm. It got them moving up that mountain. So as soon as we hit the bottom, our ice cream sensors found a great shop to fill our bellies. And it was the perfect ending to a great challenge.
