the grand grand canyon

I had my first hot toddy tonight. This cold weather cocktail (originating in Northern England) is traditionally prepared with a mixture of whiskey, boiling water, and sugar or honey. Mine at the Cover Club was made with cloves and a lemon slice too. It was delicious... and needed in the way drinks sometimes are.

Even with all I learned in 2011, apparently no amount of wisdom could ever rid me of my worries. And I'm assumedly not the only one. Last November, Joanna Goddard admitted to being plagued by her own and how, at 27, it lead her to a therapist for a few months. How did the therapist respond? With this:

 "Picture that the Grand Canyon is your life--your past, present, and future. Start envisioning the various parts of your life within the canyon: Over there is the day you were born, your third-grade choir performance, your job as a babysitter. Picture your present: There's your apartment, your friends, your mom, the book you're reading right now. Picture your future: There's your next vacation, the love of your life, your future children, the Top Chef finale :)."

"Now, my therapist told me, picture the enormous Grand Canyon and drop your worry into it. Whatever you're worrying about--your cranky boss, your dating life, a salty comment from a friend--will be barely visible. 'See how tiny it looks?' she says. Suddenly your problem will seem much, much smaller in comparison to the grand course of your huge, rich, long life."

I don't know about you, but I'd agree that it's brilliant. It really helps put each worry into perspective. 


That, and gives me a reason to reminisce about my 2005 visit to the Grand Canyon. I was 17 and had applied to the 10-day program that brought myself and a dozen other high-schoolers to study the Earth sciences in Arizona. It was fun, educational, and absolutely spectacular. On our first night, we took the inns towels out to the edge of the canyon to stargaze. I saw more shooting stars in the those twenty minutes than I had in my entire life. Similar to how good everything has turned out to be in the past seven years since then, that memory continues to amaze me.


P.S. Turns out, Wednesday is Hot Toddy Day :) enjoy!