Nov 19, 2015
Losing an animal is a difficult thing to adjust to.
Sometimes you don’t realize just how ingrained they are in your everyday
routines, and it makes their absence all the more noticeable. Or at least
that’s how it was for us. Every time I get home and open the door I expect a
furry face to greet me. I am surprised every time there’s not. Odd things
make me cry when I’m least expecting it. The first week was really awful. I
didn’t want to be in the house any more than I had to be.
So it was a true gift that months before we won a weekend
away at the gorgeous Emerald Lake in B.C. We had won the 2 night
stay at the CanSuffer Spin fundraiser in February. It was donated by a fellow
teammate – Gordon – who told us “it’s the most romantic place”. We had booked
it in September for this weekend, at a time when we thought Daisy would at
least make it to Christmas. Now the weekend away was a welcome distraction for
us, as was the kids’ planned sleepovers at the grandparents. We’d be out of our
house of Daisy reminders, amongst the mountains and trees for a weekend of
healing.
I honestly couldn’t leave soon enough on Friday (but had to
wait until Phil finished work), and naturally it started to snow on our drive
out. By the time we got to the BC/Alberta border in the mountains, some of the
highways north and southwest were closed due to bad weather. Our way was still
open but the road conditions worsened as we got closer to the resort (and
actually the road we took closed a few hours after we had drove through). They
got lots of snow earlier in the day, and the roads were icy. I was glad we had
decided to take Phil’s truck.
Like my trip the weekend before with the girls, I could feel
myself start to relax, even with the inclement weather, as we left the city
further behind and drove the highway into nature. The smell was amazing –
there’s just something about pine trees and mountain air. The snow made it
incredibly romantic. There was already quite an accumulation on the ground but
as we drove up to the parking lot, it was snowing just enough to make it look
like a movie. It was absolutely beautiful.
At Emerald Lake you park your car a few
kilometres down the road from the resort. A bus takes you to your room. I was
grinning like an idiot as we boarded the bus with our luggage. The grin just
got wider as we saw the gorgeous lake as we crossed the little bridge
onto the resort property. It’s really amazing – no cars are allowed so you walk
everywhere. It’s like a little pedestrian village. Like something out of a
story book. I knew I would love it there before we even set foot in our room.
In our room, which was overlooking the lake, there was
no TV and a huge, wood burning fireplace with as much wood as you like! We had
a little balcony with a couple of chairs, which happened to be half buried in
snow, but we pretty much left the door open anytime we were in the room with
the fireplace on. The fresh air mixed in with the burning fire was
intoxicating.
I can honestly say it was one of the most relaxing getaways
we have ever taken. It was a weekend of doing very little except breathing in
the amazing air, snapping pics of the gorgeous scenery, going into the outdoor
hot tub and hiking around the lake. Oh and eating their delicious food and
drinking ha. On Saturday afternoon after our hike we just hung out in the room
reading! I can’t remember the last time we just sat and read! If you are
looking for a relaxing, amazing weekend, I would highly recommend Emerald Lake.
It’s not cheap, but it is now on our radar for future weekend getaways cause it
is SO worth it. There were some kids there, but I would recommend it for a nice
adult getaway.
So thank you Gordon for donating such an amazing prize for
the CanSuffer event – it was so perfect I can’t even tell you. It started our
healing process from a hard month full of loss. It was like for one weekend we
were in another world – a reprieve from the grief and pain, surrounded by
breath taking beauty in a peaceful, soothing environment.
Because of spending a weekend in that setting, coming home
was a little easier. The sharp edged pain we felt leaving the house a few days
earlier was now a dull ache. It still hurt, of course, but it was a little more
manageable (although the silence was still deafening upon our return...) I
think a weekend with their grandparents helped the kids reset a bit too. There
were still tears in the following weeks – and heartbreaking conversations at
bedtime from missing Daisy – but I think as a family there was a shift in our
grief and we were now able to start to process it.
I really believe in times of pain and turmoil you need
to follow your gut as to what your heart needs. For us, it always seems to be
the mountains that call us. Whatever it is, do what your gut says – it will be
different for everyone – but for us it has never led us astray and we always
feel in a better frame of mind to handle whatever it is that is on our plate.
So I say if it means packing up the family and going camping – do that. If it
means a family sleep over in the living room, do that. If it means a quiet walk
or some meditation or yoga, do that.
Time waits for no one, I know, but sometimes I think slowing
down when you’re hurting can do the soul a world of good…
….and wine….wine helps too…
