Picture this- five young women, seeing each other for the first time in two months. Did you imagine a scene with enough hugging and shrieking to rival a movie? No? How about a car ride filled with “oh no he didn’t” and “I can’t believe she said that” stories?
This adventure begins with those previously mentioned college gals planning what at the time was a distant mirage of a vacation. They first met on campus through an organization that boasts strong sisterhood, the importance of literacy, and community leadership. But this story isn’t about how these Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters met. Rather, it recounts the many memories made and lessons taken away from their first trip as a Kappa family to the great state of Colorado.
Only when the Denver airport was shrinking in the rear view, did I realize the trip we’d talked about so long ago was actually happening. However, amid all the excitement and catching up, I couldn’t help but think about how this trip was, in a way, the start of the next chapter of our lives. In just two short weeks each of us would be setting out to overcome new challenges and to achieve our own set of goals in the upcoming school year.
Independent as we millennials like to think we are, even we have to admit that we don’t know everything and there is much we still have yet to learn. So on this trip, in the back of my mind, I tried to look at each adventure we undertook as an opportunity to take something away from each experience.
One of the first things we did on our trip was hike St. Mary's Glacier. Though steep, I couldn’t help but be awestruck at the beauty that awaited us at the top. It was a much-needed reminder to take the time to step back and appreciate the things we so often take for granted. Every small pine dotting the mountainside, added to its beauty. Every twinkling star winking into the clear black sky, added to the overall spectacle. Just like every smile or act of kindness adds to someone’s happiness for the day.
When brought face to face with the magnificent Rockies, both at St. Mary’s and throughout our trip, I came to the glaring realization of how small I really am. More than my humble five-foot two, the Skyscraping Mountains reiterated the lesson learned long ago that there are billions of people going through their own struggles and celebrating there own successes and that there is more to life then me, myself, and I.
Colorado also taught me that I am stronger than I think and that it is okay to break away from my comfort zone. Before I’d even touched down at the Denver airport, my trip was already shaping up to be quite an adventure. From almost landing, (then having to circle around again) to navigating the large labyrinth of an airport, my first set of challenges to overcome all happened within hours of arriving.
The second set appeared when the time came to hop on a ski lift to the top of the Breckenridge Alpine Slide. If cruising up a mountain in a bench that’s essentially floating was outside my comfort zone before coming to Colorado, then riding a scooter back down the mountain on a winding slide was definitely something that made me realize that great experiences lie beyond the boundaries of normality.
Something else that our adventures in Colorado made me realize was that family doesn’t have to mean blood. Throughout or trip we’d refer to ourselves as a family and until this trip I didn’t realize how true that was. Before leaving for college the only concept of family I knew was my parents, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I now consider the women I’ve met through Kappa my sisters, my family away from home. They accept, challenge, and support me just as a family would and going on this first “family” vacation with them really cemented the fact that we are our own little family unit.
Leaving Colorado was hard, not only because boarding my flight marked the end of what turned out to be an incredible vacation and I’d miss the people I’d traveled with, but also due to the exquisite beauty and inspiring essence I would be leaving behind. I would definitely make a return trip to Colorado. If not for a family reunion, then certainly to reflect, reevaluate, and rejuvenate.
