Viva Las Vegas
You should generally never tell a grieving person that "Things could
be worse", or "Look on the bright side", because it communicates that
"I don't want to engage emotionally with the fact that life sucks for
you right now" (whether that was your intention or not).
Having said that, when you are actually the one who is grieving, it's not a bad idea to go ahead and take that advice. That is, it's good to keep perspective that life as a whole isn't grief. It doesn't help you, and it doesn't help the person or situation grieved over, to sink into a black whole of despair, or to stop enjoying the things in life that are positive. Having said that, there are little rays of light shooting through in places in Sunny Las Vegas. People like lists, so let's make a list.
1) While it's sad that we don't get to hike the rest of the PCT this year, it's great that we don't have to hike the rest of the PCT this year. In some ways, through hiking sucks!
2) While we're really going to miss living in our walkable Seattle hipster paradise, there's going to be something really entertaining about living in a suburban desert golf-course apartment with a gym and a lap pool. Our plan all along was to have some cool travel experiences this year, and there's probably nowhere in the US more different from what we've experienced before than that.
3) 110 degrees makes for a great environment to try out some water sports, and we're within 30 minutes of Lake Mead.
4) We're going to be living within 3 miles of Sloan Canyon.
5) Trail running at Mt Charleston! And it seems like there's a big, active trail running community here (even if we have to get up at 4 am to beat the heat...).
6) There are a million places to eat here - maybe even more so than Seattle. And buffets. For the last three days we've eaten almost exclusively at all-you-can-eat buffets. For like $6 a meal.
7) I already found a great barber shop where nice old guys will give me a crew cut whenever I want it for like $15.
8) We already found an amazing bakery.
9) Living in Seattle, I'd forgotten how friendly people in most of the world are.
10) Californians say Nevadans are weird. They are, but Californians are as well.
11) We can go see Celine Dion every night of the week if we want.
12) The impossibility of boredom pretty much indefinitely.
13) I finally get to tell people that I live with my parents.
14) All of our friends from the rest of the country will definitely want to come visit us. They have flashing lights here, and Celine Dion, and endless miles of pools filled with scantily clad people of all of the world's body types.
15) Nevada is actually an awesome state, despite what you may have heard. Lots of beautiful desert lakes and crazy rock formations, and almost all of it is wilderness.
16) Driveable in a long weekend: Grand Canyon, Zion, Death Valley, San Diego, Mexico, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Big Bear, Mt Whitney and the High Sierra, and about a million other beautiful places.
17) This is happening on the PCT right now:
17) End of life caregiving is going to be quite a ride.
Having said that, when you are actually the one who is grieving, it's not a bad idea to go ahead and take that advice. That is, it's good to keep perspective that life as a whole isn't grief. It doesn't help you, and it doesn't help the person or situation grieved over, to sink into a black whole of despair, or to stop enjoying the things in life that are positive. Having said that, there are little rays of light shooting through in places in Sunny Las Vegas. People like lists, so let's make a list.
1) While it's sad that we don't get to hike the rest of the PCT this year, it's great that we don't have to hike the rest of the PCT this year. In some ways, through hiking sucks!
2) While we're really going to miss living in our walkable Seattle hipster paradise, there's going to be something really entertaining about living in a suburban desert golf-course apartment with a gym and a lap pool. Our plan all along was to have some cool travel experiences this year, and there's probably nowhere in the US more different from what we've experienced before than that.
3) 110 degrees makes for a great environment to try out some water sports, and we're within 30 minutes of Lake Mead.
4) We're going to be living within 3 miles of Sloan Canyon.
5) Trail running at Mt Charleston! And it seems like there's a big, active trail running community here (even if we have to get up at 4 am to beat the heat...).
6) There are a million places to eat here - maybe even more so than Seattle. And buffets. For the last three days we've eaten almost exclusively at all-you-can-eat buffets. For like $6 a meal.
7) I already found a great barber shop where nice old guys will give me a crew cut whenever I want it for like $15.
8) We already found an amazing bakery.
9) Living in Seattle, I'd forgotten how friendly people in most of the world are.
10) Californians say Nevadans are weird. They are, but Californians are as well.
11) We can go see Celine Dion every night of the week if we want.
12) The impossibility of boredom pretty much indefinitely.
13) I finally get to tell people that I live with my parents.
14) All of our friends from the rest of the country will definitely want to come visit us. They have flashing lights here, and Celine Dion, and endless miles of pools filled with scantily clad people of all of the world's body types.
15) Nevada is actually an awesome state, despite what you may have heard. Lots of beautiful desert lakes and crazy rock formations, and almost all of it is wilderness.
16) Driveable in a long weekend: Grand Canyon, Zion, Death Valley, San Diego, Mexico, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Big Bear, Mt Whitney and the High Sierra, and about a million other beautiful places.
17) This is happening on the PCT right now:
17) End of life caregiving is going to be quite a ride.
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