The other day I was scrounging through a kitchen cabinet in search of a water bottle when I happened to find one labeled “Pikes Peak By Bike.” Suddenly it was the summer of 2010, and we were on a family vacation in the Denver/ Colorado Springs area to see the Phillies play the Rockies. When Allan announced that he thought a nice activity while we were out there would be to bike down Pikes Peak, my first reaction was Are you crazy? But I was outnumbered.
 
Since I’ve been trying out some different organizational structures in my slices, I thought it might be fun to describe this event through emotions. First I wrote down all the different emotions I remember experiencing that day, then I tied one part of the experience to each emotion. Here’s what I came up with:
 
               Watching the trucks being loaded with the bikes and equipment and piling into the van for the ride
               up the mountain was exciting.
 
              Observing the scenery change from trees to rock and feeling my ears pop as we climbed higher and
              higher was anxiety-inducing.
 
              Noticing that there were no guard rails on the narrow trails and having to pull on heavier clothes as
              we reached new heights was surprising.
 
              Getting to the top, not being able to catch your breath, and needing to use the emergency inhaler
              (Allan, not me) made me nervous.
 
              Deciding that Allan and I would ride down in the van until reaching the tree line was a little embarrassing
              (but wise).
 
              Getting on the bike and starting down, all the while hugging the brakes, was scary.
 
              Receiving a calm reminder from the guide that I could trust him to get me down the mountain
              unscathed was reassuring.
 
              Feeling the wind against my skin as we zipped along was exhilarating.
 
             Stopping to take in the spectacular views was breathtaking.
 
             Finally reaching the bottom and sharing a cold beer was rewarding.
 
             Creating family memories…priceless.

(I think this would be fun to try with kids. They could even take it a step further and rewrite some of the lines by trying to show the emotion instead of telling it – a fun way to practice description).