{"id":588,"date":"2018-09-23T18:08:57","date_gmt":"2018-09-23T18:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/?p=588"},"modified":"2018-12-20T15:32:14","modified_gmt":"2018-12-20T15:32:14","slug":"the-places-of-zen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/23\/the-places-of-zen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Places of Zen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contemplation, self-reflection or any moments of calm are rare in our house. \u00a0The energy is frenetic and endless. \u00a0As a quiet, introspective person who recharges from isolation, this has been a huge adjustment.<\/p>\n

Isabella, our first child, was about as perfect a child as you can imagine for someone like me. \u00a0She was quiet, followed instructions, loved to just sit and read books. \u00a0It was awesome for someone like me who grew up in a quiet house where no one yelled and it was calm 99% of the time.<\/p>\n

The Boy Wonder is… \u00a0a bit different.<\/p>\n

There is only one place where he is quiet. \u00a0In fact, almost zen. \u00a0It is when he is traveling and can see.<\/p>\n

We first saw this during a New Years vacation.<\/p>\n

Every other year, my side of the family gets together over New Years. \u00a0We try to go on a trip or rent a vacation home or something. \u00a0My mother had passed away and one of the things she wanted was for us children to continue getting together for holidays and not drift apart.<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t really know what we could do with The Boy. \u00a0He was quite the challenge in public places. \u00a0No restaurants as he will not sit down for more than 30 seconds, no confined places for long if you wanted to keep your sanity because of the noise and the need for LOTS of outdoor opportunities so he can run and get his energy out. \u00a0We really had no idea how he would do in any situation so like the Girl Scouts motto, we had to Be Prepared.<\/p>\n

The year The Boy turned 3 was the year after my mother had passed away. \u00a0We decided to try an RV trip that would go through her town of St. George UT and we could see her house for the last time.<\/p>\n

This should probably go under the \u2018Unintended and Unexpected\u2019 chapter because no-one could have known how much The Boy would LOVE that RV.<\/p>\n

As long as he was sitting in the co-pilot\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n

Initially we put both he and his cousin Wyatt in their car seats sitting sideways on the couch, securely buckled in. \u00a0That lasted a little while but at the first stop, The Boy rushed into the co-pilot seat and refused to move when it was time to get going again. \u00a0This was Day 1, hour 3 of the trip. \u00a0We had 5 more days left. \u00a0It was either fight with The Boy for another five an a half days or give in and put him in the less safe passenger seat up front – the co-pilot\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n

Yes, we are weak. \u00a0But have you read the chapter about the Love of Loud? \u00a0You have to pick your battles so into the co-pilot seat he went.\"\"<\/p>\n

As soon as we got going, he was completely quiet and just looked out the window. \u00a0Ten minutes of quiet grew into hours of calm child, looking out the window at everything. \u00a0He couldn\u2019t get enough and his eyes would dart this way and that, trying to absorb everything that was flying by.<\/p>\n

This was uhhhhhmazing! \u00a0We had finally found another place where The Boy could find some inner calm and peace. \u00a0This was completely unexpected.<\/p>\n

Luckily for us, we had no plan for this trip. \u00a0Starting in Las Vegas, we drove to St. George and, since Zion is right there, we decided to go to Zion. \u00a0Zion in winter is absolutely glorious. \u00a0Beyond Zion we had no plans and just decided we would make it up as we went along.<\/p>\n

Turns out Zion is totally awesome in winter because of the beauty and no crowds but also a wee bit on the cold side. \u00a0Katie, my sister-in-law, \u00a0and Christina were absolutely freezing. \u00a0We had to move on.<\/p>\n

Where is it warm around New Years? \u00a0Death Valley! \u00a0So we drove that way with a stop in Tecopa CA to sit in the hot springs for a night. \u00a0Tecopa<\/p>\n

I mention all of this because we were driving every day and The Boy absolutely loved it. \u00a0We have never seen him so calm for such a long period of time.<\/p>\n

One night we boondocked it just outside of Death Valley in the middle of the desert. \u00a0We had a big fire with our camping chairs all around and my brother playing the guitar. \u00a0It was a great time. \u00a0Where did The Boy spend the night? \u00a0Looking at the fire, completely quiet from inside the RV in the co-pilot\u2019s chair! \u00a0That is a true zen spot for the boy.<\/p>\n

What I did not realize at the time is that driving every day was set in stone for him. \u00a0He does not like to drive to a spot, set up the RV and then play for days. \u00a0He wants to drive EVERY SINGLE DAY and as early as possible.<\/p>\n

When he is ready to go, he will drag me by the hand saying, \u2018C\u2019mon, C\u2019mon\u2019 and take me to the drivers seat. \u00a0Christina has made a few breakfasts and lunches while on the move in our RV.<\/p>\n

Since that first RV trip, we knew that getting an RV was going to be an important part of the family. \u00a0As you might have read, there are quite a few RV stories but this was the first!<\/p>\n

The only other true zen spot he has is the bicycle.<\/p>\n

Anytime he is on the back of the bike or in the Burley, life is good. \u00a0You hardly hear a peep out of him. \u00a0It is hard to get him to look at you and acknowledge you in any way. \u00a0He just wants to go and look around.<\/p>\n

This is true regardless of weather. \u00a0A few years ago Christina\u2019s parents were in town at the end of May.<\/p>\n

If you have not been to the eastern edge of the Rockies, you cannot understand how quickly storms form up and dump. \u00a0Any time you are out hiking, especially in late afternoon, you will get a 7-15 minute warning of massive rain and, very likely, hail. \u00a0Usually in that order. \u00a0So, you get soaked wearing your summer shorts and shirt with the rain first and then the hail comes down. \u00a0Let me tell you. \u00a0It stings when those suckers hit you!<\/p>\n

The warning comes from a swift drop in temperature. \u00a0It can be a beautiful summer day of 85 degrees and it can drop to 45 within those 7-15 minutes. \u00a0Typically not that dramatic but it can and does happen. \u00a0People die almost every year in the higher elevations due to this exact situation and are not prepared.<\/p>\n

The problem for us is that you can\u2019t see what is coming because we are right at the foothills. \u00a0It is sunny one minute and the next are intense black clouds.<\/p>\n

This is also true when you are out riding bikes.<\/p>\n

I knew a storm was likely so when Isabella, myself, The Boy Wonder and my father-in-law John decided to go for a ride, we were prepared. \u00a0Or so I thought\u2026\"\"<\/p>\n

Rain had just started. \u00a0There was a bridge for cover a few hundred yards away or we could just go for it and get to the restaurant about 1.5 miles away and meet Christina and Maria, my mother-in-law. \u00a0We decided to go for it.<\/p>\n

“Let\u2019s go for it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, we didn\u2019t realize what was coming behind the mountains or that would definitely have not been the case. \u00a0One of the worst storms I have ever been in was coming and we had no idea.<\/p>\n

Instead of taking the left for bridge cover, we took a right to go to the restaurant. \u00a0Taking that right also meant we were going uphill. \u00a0Something else we didn\u2019t consider is that John was on oxygen due to a lung illness that he had. \u00a0He had to go a bit slower and be careful not to tax his lungs at 5,300 feet.<\/p>\n

Within just a few minutes, the bike lane was a creek as all the water from the foothills comes running down the street as we are trying to go up. \u00a0Isabella and I had to be in the street because you couldn\u2019t pedal against the water.<\/p>\n

We had been riding for about 10 minutes and had only made it about 1\/3 of a mile. \u00a0A smart person would have decided to turn around and go back to the bridge. \u00a0Even though we had rain jackets, we were already 95% soaked through. \u00a0So let\u2019s just keep going!<\/p>\n

At about the 1\/2 mile mark, there is a roundabout and Isabella and I stopped to wait for John in the creek\/bike lane. \u00a0Just as we turned around to see how far back John was, a car came up along side us and hit the creek, intentionally sending a tidal wave of water into Isabella, me and The Boy Wonder, who was on the back of my bike.<\/p>\n

I had turned to avoid getting hit in the face and I turned back to The Boy expecting to console him for now being 100% soaked with water and what do I see? \u00a0Big huge grin on his face.<\/p>\n

Even today if I could find that asshole in that car, I would beat the fuck out of him. \u00a0Clearly we had a child and he absolutely did it on purpose.<\/p>\n

But the grin on The Boy\u2019s face somehow made it all better and it was just part of the adventure.<\/p>\n

Someone in a Toyota 4Runner with a bike rack saw what the driver had done pulled over and asked if we wanted a ride. \u00a0I told them no. \u00a0We were already completely soaked, \u201cYou can only get so wet, right? \u00a0Plus, I don\u2019t want to get your car all wet inside. \u00a0We will be okay.\u201d \u00a0So they drove away. \u00a0It was very sweet of them and it may give you some idea of what drowned rats we really looked like.<\/p>\n

I wish that were the end of the story and it was just some wet fun. \u00a0What is the saying, \u2018It is all fun and games until someone loses and eye\u2019?<\/p>\n

All was well in the story until the first lighting popped close enough to feel it in the air. \u00a0We heard the massive thunder immediately afterward. \u00a0It was no longer fun.<\/p>\n

We had no cover at all and now we were closer to the restaurant than to the bridge. \u00a0We had to go for it.<\/p>\n

The lightning was right on top of us, over and over, with thunder right after it and sometimes at the same time. \u00a0You could feel the electricity in the air.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the temperature dropped. \u00a0You know what that means. \u00a0The hail was coming. \u00a0Everything happened faster than normal with this summer storm. \u00a0Within a minute, the temperature had dropped to COLD. \u00a0We were soaked and the hail started. \u00a0At that moment, I was extremely excited we were on bikes. \u00a0It was much colder because of the cold wind in our wet faces but the helmets protected us from the dime and quarter size hail that was coming down.<\/p>\n

We found some cover underneath a business\u2019 awning to wait the hail out. \u00a0I looked back at The Boy to see a HUGE smile on his face. \u00a0The bike is truly a zen place for him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contemplation, self-reflection or any moments of calm are rare in our house. \u00a0The energy is frenetic and endless. \u00a0As a quiet, introspective person who recharges from isolation, this has been a huge adjustment. Isabella, our first child, was about as perfect a child as you can imagine for someone like me. \u00a0She was quiet, followed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story","category-zen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":832,"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588\/revisions\/832"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeonautismlane.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}