As I drove to work this morning I had an odd sense of deja vu. I drive the same route to work everyday. Naturally the road, the homes, and the trees, all look familiar to me. But for some reason I had a feeling of familiarity. And as I drove, I had the sensation that I had just barely smelt, seen, or felt, something in the exact same way as I had done in Alaska. I like to entertain these thoughts or feelings when I get them. Tracking these impressions down often leads to a funny story or happy memory that I hadn't indulged in for a while.
Glimpses and memories such as these are frequent visitors. It never ceases to amaze me how interconnected the five senses are with memory. A whiff of Victoria's Secret "Heavenly" perfume instantly reminds me of my Mom. Hearing "My Girl" by the Temptations takes me back to my wedding day, and clear sunny mornings sometimes remind me of the summer I spent in Alaska.
Three years ago, at about this same time of year, I was hired to work at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. My brother, my cousin, my best friend, and me, spent five months working, eating, and sleeping in glorious Trapper Creek, Alaska. To say that my job-experience there was miserable would be an understatement. Lodge employees worked an average of 15 hours a day, were constantly on our feet, and understood days off were a privilege not a right.
But for all of my grumblings about my job as a Front Desk Clerk, I can finally admit that Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Thirty miles from the base of Mt. McKinley and a two hour drive from civilization, my lodge is nestled in the heart of Denali State Park (not to be confused with Denali National Park). Its trees are tall and covered in moss, its fields are dotted with little purple flowers, and it rains almost every morning only to eventually clear up and reveal Mt. McKinley or Denali if you're an Alaskan.
There is no obvious similarity to my little apartment in Salt Lake to the granduer of Alaska. But the crispness of the snow on the Wasatch mountains, the clarity of the sky, and the freshness of the air reminded me of my daily morning walks down to work. And I am happy that I have these little memories that pop up every now and again to help me realize that some past experiences (like my job that I hated) were not as bad as they seemed...Has anyone else had moments like these?
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