I did

did you?

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this afternoon i walked along a trail near my home. at one spot, i sat down on a concrete support and leaned against a light pole. the trail isn't the type to be littered with light poles, but there are some developments in place to aid the city water supply workers. the area is after all part of the watershed which contributes to our city water supply.

as i gazed upon the valley before me, i was awestruck. i am fortunate to live in a spectacularly beautiful place. to the left were mountains draped in a thick blanket of snow. i looked at the canyon, which feels so magnificent and large when one drives through it. from this vantage point it was dwarfed by the surrounding landscape. to the right, the lake in it's shallow, murky glory; exposing it's decreased depth with wide shoulders of once buried sediment. the cars seemed so small and unnecessarily hurried. i was struck with the irony of how busy and important our lives feel yet how small and insignificant we seem compared to the world around us. don't get me wrong, i feel we are all far more important that we can conceive of, it was just the contrast between my still, unhurried moment gazing upon others' crazy, tumultuous meanderings that led to this contemplation.



the best part is that it will only get more beautiful from here. much of the earth is still sleeping, waiting for mother nature to thaw the ground a little more and coax seeds from their hibernation. green will come rapidly and the snow will melt away. the now white peaks will again display their purple majesty.

it was a glorious moment. i left a with a little more clarity, a lot more appreciation for my world, and a sense of joy in stillness. experiences like this make me want to shout from the rooftops "life is beautiful!!" we just sometimes need to slow down a little so see it.