I think it all started when I began getting sick every year on my birthday. I’d mope around my South Philly row house feeling sorry for myself wishing I were visiting somewhere colorful with cold medicine nowhere in sight. And then one day I made the conscious decision to travel over my birthday. Suitcases replaced sniffles and an annual adventure was born.
Fall colors in Telluride
This year, however, because I had been traveling for close to six months while also having intense experiences with large groups of people, I wanted a certain kind of adventure. My birthday wish was to take a road trip to a quiet, pretty place, within a day’s drive. My wish was granted in the form of an Adobe house on ten acres, five miles outside of Dolores, CO in the four corners area. With a labyrinth, a fire pit, a kiva fireplace, a meditation area, a beautiful view, and, the airbnb.com host’s cat, my husband and I felt more than at home.
My goal for the week was down time. However, it was a day’s drive there and a day’s drive back. Plus, just because it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere, it didn’t mean there was nothing to do. On day two, we drove the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, which is a 236 mile loop – Dolores, Stoner, Rico, Telluride, Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton, Durango and Mancos – that showcases some of the most gorgeous scenery in America – especially in the fall. In fact, the section from Ouray to Silverton is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway because of the million dollar views. Besides breathtaking vistas, there are also ancient ruins, deserted mining towns and national parks which means a day’s drive barely scratches the surface on all the area has to offer.
On my actual birthday, still high from the San Juan Skyway, we rode the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to take in views that couldn’t be accessed from the road. The ride takes you back to the 1880s – the heyday of narrow gauge railroad. It’s an all day affair as the train tops out at 18 miles per hour. However, with historic figures as guides to your journey into the wild, it all goes by in a flash – even with a two-hour pit stop in Silverton.
So, given all the driving, leaf peeping and sightseeing, there were really only four days available to honor my wish for down time. During this period, I realized how impossibly hard it was for me to get to that flow state. Wikipedia defines flow as, “the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.” That was the kind of quiet time experience I was seeking – full involvement and enjoyment in an activity to help me completely relax.
The attempt failed on a couple of fronts. One reason was my personality. I have a hard time sitting still and an even harder time quieting my mind – this is one of the reasons why improv has been such a useful tool to me over the years. But, it was just my husband, his dog and the resident cat on this trip, so there were no opportunities for that kind of out-of-my-head play. The other reason was the digital connection. Because my husband had to work while we were gone, I too chose to attack a few loose ends, which led to social media posts and the general Internet rabbit hole experience. However, determined to get to this flow state, I tried everything available to me at the Adobe house with mixed results:
- Practicing yoga – While there are numerous benefits to a regular yoga practice, I’m never really entirely in the flow state. My body aches sometimes. My mind wanders all the time. But, it does slow me down, enables me to breathe and assists in keeping me calm. Grade: B+
- Walking a labyrinth – What a lovely experience to walk a single circuitous path that winds its way into the center. However, despite the walking meditation, my response was similar to yoga. And, even though it helped to ground me, it was over relatively fast despite my slow pace. Grade: B
A labyrinth can be a meditative tool.
- Meditating – I tried, as I do at home, to sit still and meditate in the morning. Despite the beautiful setting, my mind did what it does and went wandering. I do think even a few minutes of morning quiet does benefit my day, however, it’s definitely not the tool to achieve true flow. Grade: C
- Reading a novel – A found a bunch of books in my alley a few weeks before the road trip, so I grabbed one that was a familiar – but never read – novel. It worked. It worked so well in fact that I ended up crying myself into a migraine as the dramatic end unfolded. And while pleasure reading and crying induced migraines shouldn’t necessarily go hand in hand, at least I was totally and completely immersed. Grade: A
- Playing a game – We’re big Scrabble fans. During the stay, we played twice. The first time I was on social media in between turns. The second time my phone was turned off and in the other room. Because I self-sabotaged on the first attempt, it didn’t do any magic. The second attempt, however, turned off my busy mind, perhaps, because my phone was also turned off. Not only did I win, but I was also whipping out letter combinations that surprised even me. Grade: A –
- Sitting by the fire – This, like the Scrabble game, involved some self-sabotage. When the fire first began, I was doing my social media postings. Once the phone was put inside and replaced by a local brew, I was actually able to concentrate my senses on the fire. Grade: B
The Adobe house cat, Denny
- Taking a hike – There was a hike on the property that led to an amazing canyon with amazing views. Had we not been told to follow the blue ribbons, we would have missed this entirely. The walk was short, so I was able to refrain from checking my phone using it only as a camera. But, because it was so short, it felt like I skimmed the surface of flow state, but didn’t really sink into it. Grade: B
Driving home, I thought about my recipe for successful flow and came up with the following equation:
(nature + play + mindfulness + novels) – technology = flow
Now the question is how can this equation be found without driving seven hours to an Adobe house on ten acres, five miles outside of Dolores, Colorado? I’m (trying) to meditate on it!
