From 2013 to 2017, a photo of a restaurant perched on the side of a cliff was my computer background.
I didn’t even know its name then, I just called it “the restaurant on a hill.” Every day at work, I stared at it as a silent escape. I loved to daydream about what it would be like to be there. To see the wooden restaurant that looked perfectly warm, the rugged mountain that held a story of centuries past, and how the sky and clouds gently danced around it all. Whether the day was good or challenging, I let my mind wander to the world that lived in that hill. And every time I looked at it, I told myself: One day, I’ll go there.
During that time, the promise I made to myself slowly faded and became a forgotten memory.
That all changed late last year. The promise came back to mind and I decided it was time to stop waiting and finally make that visit happen. I once told myself I would go to the restaurant on the hill and I needed to honor that. I booked the ticket, reserved the hotel, and set my mind on going to the place that had inspired me from afar for so long.
Fast forward and I was in Zurich, Switzerland to visit the place on my computer screen: Aescher Guesthouse in Weissbad.
When the day came to make the trip to Aescher, I was nervous, excited, and running on less than two hours of sleep thanks to so much anticipation. The journey wasn’t easy: a 2.5-hour train ride, a six-minute cable car, and what should have been a 20-minute hike (though mine stretched into 40). But eventually, I stood in front of Aescher Guesthouse, the place I had once only seen on a screen.
And there it was, absolutely and completely everything I imagined.
Taking my picture in front of Aescher, I realized something important: goals don’t have to stay as pictures on a background or wishes we quietly repeat to ourselves. They can become real and most importantly they can become lived.
It may have taken me years to get here, but I did it. The feeling of knowing I made it happen, seeing the things I saw, and feeling that moment deeply and without haste is incredible. Do I wish I did this sooner? Kind of. Am I glad I did it now? Absolutely. I’m elated that I didn’t let excuses outweigh my goal and I’m proud that I kept a promise I made to myself. If I can take a long-forgotten dream and bring it to life, I hope you know that you can (and should) do the same.
And if you’re wondering: yes I sat and had a meal in the restaurant. Saving that for a future post.
