Vancouver

Posted by Marci on Dec 2, 2010 in | 0 comments

As I’ve traveled the world, I’ve met many people who loved Vancouver, BC. I wondered what it was about this city that would make people so passionate about visiting, so when I made my list of dreams I placed Vancouver on the list.

The first day in Vancouver was cloudy and overcast and as I traveled through Stanley Park with two friends I thought that though it was a beautiful city it wasn’t anything different than many other cities similar to New York – tall buildings, designer stores, a few museums, and hordes of people and traffic. Then as we hit Second Beach the clouds cleared and I fell in love – majestic mountains rose from the ocean, people swam in the warm waters, and I was surrounded by natural beauty. At the end of the day, as we sat at Granville Island, eating muffins we bought in at the public market, the sun set on the glass buildings and reflected in the water. Within a few minutes drive we were on a beach watching the last of the light sparkle on the bay.

For three days, I explored the beauty of Vancouver. It’s a place where you can eat a gourmet meal or shop in a gallery and then in minutes be lost in nature: kayaking, hiking, or sitting on a beach taking in the rays of summer’s sun. An hour later, you can be surrounded by the beauty of Whistler as you breathe in the mountain air, watch BMX bike racing or in the winter ski.

My final night, I looked at the city from the top of a hill and saw the mountains that seemed to embrace the city in a hug. This place suited my personality. It had all the nightlife and bustle of the city with nature right by its side.

Once again, it isn’t the dream come true that blew me away but how it came about. My friend Donna, who I met making my dream of figure skating come true, sent the link for my website to her daughter who lives in Vancouver. Kim went through my list and saw that I wanted to see the city and to hang glide. Without a second thought she invited me to stay with her family and said it came with one condition – we go hang gliding. On this journey, I made a promise to myself that if an opportunity came to me I would say yes to it. So though I didn’t know Kim and her family, I accepted their offer.

As we sat in Whistler at a campground at the end of my trip, these wonderful, inviting people thanked me for making my list. They told me that they’d always wanted to hang glide but wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t come to visit. Here I was thinking how incredible it was for three people to care so much about my dreams coming true, that they would put their time and effort into making this trip happen, yet they were thanking me.

When I decided to make my list of dreams I said, “What if the world was filled with friendly, inviting faces?” Instead of fearing the worst in people, I would choose to believe the best of human nature. In doing this, I’ve been surrounded by loving people who have helped me on this journey. For this beautiful family to take me in, for my friend Donna to fly to Vancouver just to give me a personal tour of the city where she grew up, and to be welcomed into someone’s home is a gift far greater to me than seeing a magnificent city.

I’ve begun to understand that this journey will always be more incredible than my mind can imagine and that when I release control of what I think is supposed to happen, life brings me more than what I could hope for. Thank you Donna, Kim, Bill, Bree, McKenna, and my friend Seth who all made this dream one I will never forget.