Being outside of my life bubble and looking at different scenery sparks my creativity. It seems that almost every time I travel I come home with an idea that I am itching to write about. We recently returned from a trip to Arizona, Utah & Nevada. Per my pattern, I have been turning over an idea in my mind.
On this trip, we spent a lot of time in canyons. We went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, & Zion National Park. If you have never been out west, do yourself a favor and go! Pretty much once you are outside of any major city your jaw will hit the floor from the sheer beauty of it. My pictures never do it justice.
Out west everything is much bigger. You can change altitude by a couple of thousand feet in a short period of time. If you aren’t paying attention you can miss it. That idea is what I have been thinking about. If you have ever been on a road trip involving mountainous areas you have likely encountered switchbacks. They are places where the roads have to be stacked along the mountainsides because building them straight up and over would have been impossible.
Something I don’t believe will ever get old to me is when I get to a point in a switchback where I can see the road below (where I came from) or above me (where I am going) or both at the same time. The picture I posted is an example. If you look closely there is a road (faint grey line) through the picture that cuts diagonally to the left. We traveled that road on the way to the pullout where I took the photo. I missed many opportunities to take a picture in a set of switchbacks because I was too busy trying to wrap my brain around the quick changes. Somewhere in the midst of the switchbacks of this trip, I started to see a life parallel.
I am a big fan of schedules and routines. I like to do the same thing the same way almost every day. I count on it. I am amazed at how quickly I can become comfortable with where I am. I set up camp as if I have arrived at life stasis. Everything will just stay the same from this point forward. It never does, yet, I still get surprised. Switchbacks are kind of like that. I feel comfortable with where I am but am surprised and amazed when I can see the road below and realize the progress that has been made. In those moments I am aware of and can reconcile the change.
In nature, it’s always beautiful to me to look out across the landscape and see where I have traveled. The levels are each unique and beautiful in their own right. I think it would be beneficial to consider my life in the same way. I will confess that I miss opportunities while trying to wrap my head around changes. In life, I seldom take the opportunity to look back and consider all that has happened. I believe this is one place where I can take positive advantage of hindsight.
The morning after returning home from this trip my 2 1/2-year-old grandson, Maddox, died. I have never loved any person the way I loved him. Once again life turned on a dime. It gave me an opportunity to consider the switchbacks of my life. He is gone, but the 2 1/2 years of his life contain some of the most gorgeous and cherished sights of my life. It was a really short stretch of road but I am grateful for it.
The same day we found out about Maddox, we found out a coworker of Hubby Guy died. Iona was a sweet little lady that had prayed for Maddox his entire life. She never had the opportunity to meet him but prayed faithfully for him. It was comforting to consider they met in heaven. Six days after returning from the trip we found out my father-in-law died. These past couple of weeks have felt very much like a steep and treacherous mountainside of really scary switchbacks. I am grateful for the overlooks of the week prior that reminded me to stop and take in the beauty. I am not sure that without that reminder I would have my feet back under me from three great losses in a short period of time. Instead of dwelling on the sadness, I have been able to consider the beauty of those three lives. I have been able to laugh remembering key things about them. I can smile in recognizing how each impacted my life and the lives around them in positive ways.
I think it would be a shame to wait until the end of life, assuming I will have a warning, to take the time to look back at the breathtaking beauty. I have decided that I don’t want to miss it. A noticeable change is uncomfortable. Change unnoticed can be surprising. I want to learn to embrace both. I need to remember to take advantage of life’s pullouts, take off my seat belt, stretch, take a deep breath, and look around. There is beauty that I miss from driving straight through in the name of schedule and routine. I need to pay attention, especially in the switchbacks.
