My Bahá'í Pilgrimage During a Crazy Global Pandemic
March 3, 2020
Post 7: Farewell, Switzerland!
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We had these buttery delights with homemade apricot jam. So delicious.
On our last morning in Switzerland, Nicolai made us an incredible breakfast of buttery croissants, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a rustic omelet from locally sourced eggs. We also got to meet his bright-eyed wife and their adorable little girl, who greeted us with a dimpled grin. I realized this was the first European kid I had really interacted with. Aside from her French accent, she was just like other kids; full of light and laughter. No matter where you go, kids are the best. :)
After we said farewell to our new friends, we drove two hours to a peak called Stockhorn. Google Maps led us up a twisting mountain road past little cabins and peaceful cow pastures. Then, the road turned to gravel and dirt.
“Are you sure you put us on the right route, Katie?” Dad asked, uneasily.
“I think so,” she said, uncertainly.
Our tires started spinning and spitting loose gravel. Katie, Travis, and I all held our breath and eyeballed each other anxiously. Were we about to get stuck on a mountain???
Fortunately, Dad, who is a pro at maneuvering out of tough driving situations, somehow eased us through. We all let out a huff of relief.
Then, the road narrowed and turned to mud. Dad stopped the car. We all agreed to call it a dead end.
Katie and I could not pass up the opportunity for a spontaneous jumping photo, lol. We've taken pics these since we were kids.
“I don’t regret this,” Katie immediately declared as soon as we stepped out of the car. Neither did I. This was one of the most beautiful views we had seen so far. The snow was thawing a breathtaking patchwork quilt of white and emerald on the surrounding mountains. The patch where we stood was particularly lovely. Melting snow dripped refreshingly from the sparkling evergreens and into pools of bright spring grass. Travis, who’s renown for his awestruck wandering, walked into the grove of trees on the side of the road as Katie, Dad, and I got geared up to hike.
This picture embodies my spirit in Switzerland. :)
We weren’t sure if we were at Stockhorn, but an elderly man who spoke no English walked down the hill and only smiled at us, so we assumed it was fine to be there. We were just accidentally taking the road less travelled. Whoops—so cool. Katie and I began to take pictures in an effort to capture our joy.
Then Travis emerged from the sunlit trees, looking like he had seen a ghost.
“Darcy,” he said. “I can’t find my wedding ring.”
I froze. “Where was the last place you had it?”
“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
We thought he must have left it at the Airbnb, so we contacted Nicolai, who kindly went to search for it. He didn’t have any luck.
Then Katie had an idea. We had taken a stroll down a charming trail just outside of Province earlier that morning, and, as always, she had taken tons of pictures. Maybe we could see Travis wearing his ring in one of them?
Sure enough, we saw Travis’s ring gleaming gold in one of the pictures. Which means he didn’t leave it at the Airbnb. But where was it?!
We looked everywhere: the grove of trees, every inch of the grass and snow and dirt-covered ground, and every crevice of the car. No luck. Rather than trying to find a needle in a haystack, we were trying to find a wedding ring on a Swiss mountain.
Travis and I were shocked. Out of all of the challenges we had expected to face on this COVID-crazy trip, losing a wedding ring was not one of them.
Finally, after hours of searching, Travis sighed. “It’s my fault. I prayed to become more detached from material things to prepare for pilgrimage. This is my test.”
This didn’t surprise me. Travis is always setting noble goals like this for himself. “Is it working?” I asked.
Travis shrugged. “Yeah. I love my ring, but in the end, it’s just a material thing.”
I smiled. As Baha’i’s, we believe that being overly attached to the material things of this world is like being stuck in the mud. It prevents our souls from growing and moving closer to God. Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Faith, says, “Know that thy true adornment consisteth in the love of God and in thy detachment from all save Him, and not in the luxuries thou dost possess.”
The things we possess—even wedding rings—have no real value at the end of our earthly life. A material thing can mean a lot to us, and it can even represent something spiritual, like how Travis’s wedding ring symbolized our bond of matrimony. But losing that material thing can also be a spiritual gift, because it can teach us the virtue of detachment. Travis’s prayer for detachment was answered, after all. :)
So, we left Travis’s wedding ring on the mountain and bid Switzerland farewell.
This was our last view atop a Swiss Alp.
As we drove to our next Airbnb on the French border, I grabbed a pen and drew a new ring on Travis’ finger. It looked like a mountain peak. Travis laughed. He considered getting it permanently tattooed, so he would never lose his ring again.
“Well, it’s true what they say. It’s about the journey, not the destination,” Dad declared. As we passed the last of the Swiss peaks, we agreed that everything had happened just as it was meant to happen.
And our journey wasn’t over. Tomorrow, we would be flying to Athens, Greece!
I wondered what tests we would face in that ancient city. Whatever it was, I hoped it didn’t involve losing my wedding ring!
Of course—if it did—I would detach. Eventually. :)
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