Lessons From Vail

This summer I spent my days in Vail, Colorado. It is known to be not only one of the most beautiful places in the country, but also one of the most highly visited places. While in Colorado, I got a job as a waitress at one of the top hotels in Vail. Not only was this extremely different for me, but it was something that taught me the hard and agonizing lesson of adulthood. I’ve had a job for years, but never one like this. The hours were long, the nights dragging, and the customers, ruthless. I quickly learned just how harsh the real world can be. The world as harsh as it is, is also something more than that.

While in Colorado, I saw some of the most beautiful things I had ever hoped to see in my life. The problem was, I didn’t appreciate them. Instead, I spent my days worrying about saving money, and everything else that was so unimportant. I never truly sat down to take in what was around me, and the opportunities that were at my feet. From waterfalls, to hikes, to mountain drives, and late night sunsets; I never deeply embraced what the world was. I honestly never looked out my window and thought “wow I’m so lucky.” That is the real tragedy of the lessons learned. Being unappreciative. For a place to have so much beauty, so many opportunities, and so many new people, all to be ignored for the simplicity of a restless mind.

The lessons I learned over the summer are ones that will take me so much further in my life than I ever thought possible. I just hope that next time anybody is somewhere new, or has to make a change that they will remember one thing. Day by day. I really have never been a person to admit their wrongdoings, or their errors, but not seeing something so beautiful that is right in front of your eyes is a huge lesson. We learn lessons everyday, and they make us better. Find beauty in all that you see, and that will take you on a world of adventure, I promise you.