Pike’s Peace or Bust It’s Sunday night and my husband has left for his weekly hockey game with the guys. I have the house to myself. I microwave some popcorn and head for the television and my three boxed-set seasons of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman on DVD. I scan the episode titles I know so well. I reach for the one I want. The one I have seen so many times before. My favorite. Pike’s Peace from Season Three. I love this episode because it’s core message lives at the center of my value system. In the episode, the character of Sam Lindsey tells Michaela, “Life isn’t about living forever, it’s about making the journey really count.” I believe this is the whole message of this show. And it’s a wonderful one. Sam and Michaela share a deep and immediate connection that begins in the first moments they meet each other. As the story progresses, and each learns more about the other, they come to lean on and care about each other, and a mutual respect is born. But, more than that, each character is touched by the other in a way that changes them forever. Michaela is attracted to Sam’s free spirit and Sam admires Michaela ambition. Ironically, it’s these same two qualities that bring the characters together on the mountain. Although Sam denies Michaela’s request to accompany her on the Pike’s Peak climb, Michaela, in typical form, won’t take no for an answer and boldly follows Sam. So, in the end, Sam is not alone as she imagined, but instead, she shares her last moments with a friend. And Michaela is able to open up to Sam in a way that she is unable to with her mother. Sam says that nothing makes you feel more alive than climbing to the top of a mountain peak. The character of Sam Lindsey dares to live life to the fullest and I, like Michaela, admire that. Making the “journey really count” is about living in the moment and soaking up all life has to offer. This is what makes us feel alive. I love this episode because it delights in the power of women, and in the strong bonds they form and share. In the beginning of the show, Sam sits with Myra at Grace’s café and tells her to “enjoy the miracle” of the baby growing inside her. With these words, I think Myra feels a strengened bond with her child. I love how later, Myra’s baby girl is born into the world, just as Sam leaves it. During the delivery of Myra’s baby, we see the strength and courage of Colleen and Dorothy who help Myra. And when she hands Myra her child, Grace’s determination to be a support to her, in spite of her own pain at not being able to become pregnant, is evident. Talk about feeling alive in the moment! The end of this episode is glorious. Although Sam passes away, we see how her strong spirit has touched Michaela. It is symbolized in the unexpected beauty and rarity of the shooting star. I love this episode because, every time I watch it, I seem to glean some new meaning from it. In her parting letter to Michaela, Sam says, “I look forward to hearing of all your struggles in love, about your mother and children, and grandchildren, of your mercies and triumphs. I hope to hear how you lived each day to it’s fullest, always daring to stay true to yourself. I’ll listen to how you loved and laughed and cried and played and worked. And took delight in each sunrise and gave thanks for every star in the night sky.” Living fully means not cheating yourself out of any feeling. The greatest gifts in life come from the precious bonds we form with the people who touch our lives. It’s in the moments that we love and laugh and cry that we experience the best of life. To dare to live each day to the fullest, while striving to remain true to yourself is to explore new levels of courage and integrity…to grow and become a better human being! This is Sam’s greatest wish for Michaela. And this is my greatest wish for my own life. This episode reminds us that the very best of life comes from feeling alive. And whether that be “climbing to a mountaintop” or “falling in love,” these feelings and moments make our lives extraordinary. I also love this episode because I am a proud Colorado native. Pike’s Peak is a state treasure. And, although it was not filmed in Colorado, the beauty of this episode hits close to home. Having climbed more than one fourteen thousand foot peak myself, I can attest to the thrill of reaching the top! It is both wonderful and addicting. What a pleasure it is to write about my favorite Dr. Quinn episode. Having been an avid fan for nearly ten years, I have seen almost every episode multiple times. The episodes are so wonderful because they encompass the struggles and triumphs of the human experience. The show had such excellent writers. To watch Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is to grow your heart and stretch your soul. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was much more than a weekly television show; it’s a whole experience that changes you. It lifts you up, makes you think, makes you feel creative, and empowered. And it doesn’t get much better that that! Jennifer Analovitch Denver, Colorado USA
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