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After spending so much time feeling angry about so many things that had gone wrong in my life, I decided I couldn’t do it any longer.
There was no question I was currently in a rather unfortunate situation for so many reasons, but with so much time on my hands to reflect, I started to realize things could have been much worse than they already were.
It was easy to look at being stuck here as an inconvenience, and I certainly did a fair bit of sulking. I mean, I slept in the lodge where dozens of others slept as well. While it wasn’t awful, it definitely wasn’t ideal. It had been difficult to find sleep in an unfamiliar place with so many people I didn’t know being there.
I felt exposed and vulnerable.
But then I took the time to consider the alternative.
If it hadn’t been for the avalanche that had held me hostage at the resort, I might have gone down the mountain, been unable to find a place to stay that wouldn’t cost a fortune, and wound up spending the night in my car, freezing to death.
So, I had to do what I could to see the silver lining.
And truthfully, it was time.
Without much else to do besides think, it became impossible for me not to have thoughts about where things were in my life. Not just in the present moment of being stranded at a ski resort alone, but my whole life, in general.
I hated the way I’d been feeling for so long, and I wanted that to change. There had been so much anger. God, I’d been angry. But there was also the hurt, disappointment, sadness, and fear. Truth be told, anger and the fear were the two I felt most often. They consumed my mind.
And while I didn’t think anyone would fault me for feeling the way I did about all that I’d been through, sitting inside the ski lodge had forced me to shift my perspective. Logic told me I wasn’t the only person to experience hardship in life. Though I believed there were others who had been inconvenienced by the avalanche and the subsequent snowstorm, I looked at all of the people around me.
They were sleeping in the lodge, because they hadn’t planned on getting stuck here. But it didn’t matter.
They were happy. Laughing.
They weren’t letting this get in their way of enjoying themselves.
Of course, they were all skiers or snowboarders, so they were merely getting more time to do something they found enjoyable.
I wished I could say the same.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t a skier or snowboarder, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t see how others were responding to the situation and find a way to apply that same mindset to my own life.
I could make the best out of a bad situation. I mean, in comparison to the horrible things I’d experienced in my personal and professional life prior to today, this really wasn’t that awful.
So, fortunately, after I’d grabbed my clothes out of my car yesterday to change before the snow started falling, I’d also grabbed my backpack. It held a couple of my things that were valuable, like my laptop and my camera.
After giving myself a few hours to reflect on things this morning, I’d decided it was time to take charge and do something that would make me feel happy again, even if it was only going to be for a short time.
Though, if I was being completely honest, I hadn’t spent the entire morning simply reflecting on my mood and the horrible things that had happened to make me wind up in this place now.
I’d been trying and failing to stop the thoughts of my encounter with Griffin from popping into my head.
That man.
God, I didn’t know what to do about him.
After all I’d been through, even allowing myself to sit and have a conversation with him was a red flag. And yet, for some reason, I didn’t tell him to walk away and leave me alone.
I didn’t know what to do.
Aside from being incredibly kind, the man was breathtaking.
Travis hadn’t been unattractive, by any means, but Griffin’s looks weren’t something I thought existed in the real world. In addition to the dark brown, slightly unruly hair on the top of his head, he had a square, angular jaw, pouty lips, and a pair of dark blue puppy dog eyes.
Of course, he was also tall and fit. He wasn’t overly muscular, but it was clear, based on his athletic build, he took care of himself. Perhaps it was all the snowboarding.
And he smelled good. I didn’t know how it was possible to be living in a camper and smell so divine, but leave it to Griffin to be the guy who pulled it off.
