#WhereAreTheUbryTerrells ... Leg 14: Washington

If you’ve never taken a road trip with a 10-year-old boy, here is my depiction:

Rand: “Hey Van, look, a volcano!”
Van: “Cool.”
Rand: “Hey Van, look, a buffalo!”
Van: “Cool.”
Rand: “Hey Van, look…”
Van: “What’s for dinner?”

It has taken me a few states to get used to this. Rand and I imagined Van being mesmorized by literally everything that passed our windows. Lassen volcano, a Bengal tiger, the ocean... but we can’t even get him to look out the window! The couple of times we’ve tried to force him to he’s simply fallen asleep (this kid can nap for hours!).

To be honest, I was pretty disappointed at first. I had the expectation that experiencing this trip through his eyes would be a new way of seeing the world, with child-like wonder. But he’d rather read a zombie book for the third time than marvel at the random waterfalls along the highway.

Disappointment was my attitude going into our trip north to Mt. Rainier in Washington state. It was recommended to us by a friend of Randy’s who said, “Once you go, you’ll wonder why you’ve never been.” Yet, when we arrived, the clouds were so thick there was no mountain in site.

We had driven hours out of our way to see a mountain that, standing 3-feet away, we couldn’t even see! And this was literally the ONLY thing we planned to do in Washington and the ONLY reason we'd even decided to check this state off our list.

Upon entering a National Park, one of the first things we do is see a park ranger and ask what they recommend us do while on their turf. I fully expected our ranger to apologize for the weather and recommend coming back another day. Instead, he exclaimed, “There are so many great hikes you can enjoy while you are here!” And proceeded to point out hike after hike on our park map. His enthusiasm quickly shifted my perspective. Even though we couldn’t see the mountain—even though our expectations were not met—there was still plenty we could do and see and enjoy.

That attitude check was enough to make me reevaluate where else I’ve been letting my disappointment at unmet expectations ruin my day. With a simple shift in perspective, I realized that I could find the joy in every situation. In fact, getting past the disappointment of unmet expectations can allow you to experience many unexpected blessings.

No, Van does not want to look out the window. But while he is napping or quietly reading in the back, Randy and I can pretend that it is just the two of us again, laughing as we attempt to navigate the dirt roads my navigation always seem to get us on, talking about the future, enjoying the beauty of the world that WE get to see.

And even though Van never looks out the window, when he is outside he is 100 percent engaged in his surroundings. He loves hiking, fishing, climbing and all the other exploring that we have done. And I would certainly rather him be engaged with nature OUTSIDE the vehicle, than in.

It’s a simple change in mindset, but I think it will have a huge impact on my enjoyment of this trip! And some day I do hope to return to Mt. Rainier so we can actually see it. You can't judge a mountain in just one day, especially in the Pacific Northwest!