Have you ever been somewhere in nature that you made you feel so small in the world? If so, what’s that place for you? For me, it was the Grand Canyon. Feeling small is never always a bad feeling – feeling small in the face of nature can make you grateful.
High walls of the Grand Canyon
I went to the Grand Canyon with a couple of college friends. The place never fails to amaze me. Although this was my third time (I talk about my last time here) seeing the Grand Canyon, I felt like it was like my first time.
On a quick side note, the weather was absolutely gorgeous (mid to high 70s); we came in the middle of October (if you’re looking for a time to go, that would be the best time). We did a portion of Bright Angel Trail, which is where most of the photos are taken from.
One of the many views of the canyon from above:
And then when you hike into the canyon, you’re surrounded by it’s hundred foot walls.
I was thinking about if it were possible to lead climb that wall because it would be so sick to do so. I’m pretty sure it’s not human nature to immediately think of climbing a hundred foot wall :P.
Being grateful to experience the Grand Canyon
Before I went to the Grand Canyon, I felt like I was living in a bubble and trapped in an unfulfilling and dull routine for several weeks. That routine made me feel like nothing else seemed interesting or exciting. I think it’s easy for us to shrink our perception of the world to whatever routine we get ourselves in.
The Grand Canyon took me out of that bubble I was living in. Witnessing the unending landscape of rock formations and touching the sheer walls reminded me that there is always something bigger out in the world. I was feeling both physically and mentally small. It was humbling and exciting feeling to have. I was feeling grateful for the opportunity to explore a place like the Grand Canyon.
According to nps.gov, it took 6 million years to form the Grand Canyon to what it is today. Me, whose 29, walking in a 6 million year old place – kind of ironic to think that I thought I was experiencing all there was to the world a couple weeks prior to coming Grand Canyon.
Here are some other thoughts I have about the benefits of feeling small:
When you feel small, you notice small
When we feel small, we also notice the small things in our life.
It’s the little things that we often take for granted that end up giving us some of the biggest joys in life. For example, I was grateful for the fact that I was able to hike the Grand Canyon with my friends. And that feeling overshadowed the stress I had been feeling at work the week prior.
When we find joy in the small things, life does get a little simpler. A little bit more peaceful and little bit happier.
When you feel small, you frame small
When we feel small, we tend to frame some of our most common problems as small things. This reduces how much stress, anxiety, and focus we place on these things. It’s a good feeling to not have to feel stressed all the time right?
A challenge for you (and myself!)
Spend sometime outdoors.
But the outdoors has to be somewhere far from where you live and somewhere that you can just be immersed in nature. Somewhere that you can forget about the stresses you go through and be lost in nature. A place where you can feel small.
Places like the Grand Canyon remind me that there is indeed an exciting, mysterious, and big world out there. It just takes some effort to go out and explore.
It’s a challenge because it’s hard to leave the comforts of our homes or to leave the distractions that always preoccupy our minds.
As a start, carve out a day or even a weekend.
It’s a challenge for myself so you’re not alone. I’d love to see where you took yourself. Let me know in the comments!
