Wonderful People

I have come to the conclusion that one of my greatest joys in life is simply other people. I am fascinated by the variety of our shapes and sizes, the variation of our looks. Even as I watch the different colors and designs the of cars that pass me as I drive along the interstate, I am reminded how unique we all our. Each of us with our own likes and dislikes, interests, beliefs, life experiences, and opinions. Somehow I feel more complete when my life even for a brief moment is shared with someone else.

This weekend was one of those weekends and I was fortunate to be able to spend it with my family and some friends. One of the highlights was a day trip in Zions National Park. We got off the shuttle at the Lodge and were headed for the Emerald pools. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing just enough to make the day seem simply perfect. We were walking towards the trail when my daughter Heather began to laugh. She saw a group of adults with many small children. Chuckling she said,
"Wow those ladies are my heroes. They are true Super Moms."
They were adorned with day packs and had kids strapped to their backs and one was even carrying a little one on the front and back, while her husband adjusted his pack. They also had several other small children all gathering around them like a little bunch of chicks. The moms looked like they were a bit worn out, but at the same time they looked like they were having the time of their lives. There was no doubt that the little ones that surrounded them were also having a great time. I couldn't help but think back to the day when I was that mom, and my 7 kids were the ones taking turns in the pack. I said,
"Boy that sure brings back memories for me."
Yet here I was now with my "baby" now 11 years old and my oldest daughter 23 at home, a new mother herself. Where does the time go?

We took our time going up the trail. One of the first stops we made was for Heather to take a picture of the little cowboy, working post at the bridge for the trail ride. It was darling to watch him pose for the picture especially when his boots pointed awkwardly inward. He was simply too darn cute! Then we stopped to watch a large, I mean very large beetle chew on a small chunk of strawberry that someone had discarded along the side of the trail. Some of our group seemed real anxious to get to the top and they just sort of ran ahead. Then the rest of us just continued to take our time, climbing rocks, taking pictures, and enjoying the walk. (It couldn't be that we were just out of shape and this was the best pace we were capable of:) Either way, it was an enjoyable walk and I had no desire to rush.

We made it to the top and literally marveled at the incredible beauty. I found myself getting dizzy as I tried to look around at all of the rock formations above me, beside me, and now below me. I tried to take it all in but it was almost a natural beauty overload! There were lots of little children playing in the water as it slowly trickled down the rocks to the pools. There was a little boy hiding behind a tree, mortified that he had to go to the bathroom there. His mother had finally convinced him that this was his only option. I felt for him as I walked past and thought to myself, I remember moments like that too, and that one I didn't miss a bit!

It was getting late and we had dinner reservations for my son Taylor's 18th birthday so we needed to start heading back. The path was made up of a mixture of sand and stone and had been well traveled. There were times the grade was rather steep and the footing was definitely loose. There were many times you simply had to grab onto something to stabilize yourself as you stepped down the trail. My daughter Heather was just ahead of me and was going down a steep section. She was holding onto to part of a tree as she stepped down around a corner. Just as she began to let go of the tree she was holding onto to steady herself, she turned and said to me, "Oh, I just love it when I grab a tree or a branch or something and I can feel that it has been worn down and smooth from other people grabbing on to it."
I immediately knew what she was feeling. She too loves feeling connected to others. She is my adventurer who gave up a summer and went off to Ghana to teach in a school for the deaf and blind. She loves from the very essence of her soul, and every day seems to asks herself if she is making enough of a difference in the world. I said "Oh, I know what you mean. It is so neat to feel how smooth it has become from each of us needing to hold on to it. Somehow it makes me feel connected."

It was interesting though that her boyfriend found no such comfort in it. He laughed and said "That is probably the most germ infested tree in the park. I like to go where I can see trees that no one else has ever touched." There was absolutely nothing wrong with his view point. I am smart enough to know there was indeed much truth to his statement, and in no way do I find any fault in him for expressing his opinion. There is a part of me that has also celebrated my times of solace in a wilderness that seems completely separate from the world. My daughter and I just smiled at each other and appreciated knowing that was something we understood about each other. In a way it is sharing exchanges like that, that make life so wonderfully brilliant. I think it is incredible that we can all experience the same thing, yet in completely different ways. We continued down the path laughing as we ran under the waterfall that drifted towards us as the breeze shifted. As we continued down the path we were fortunate to have someone point out some deer that were laying down just about 10 feet off the trail. It was a neat sight and one we probably would have missed had the other hikers not taken the time to let us know the deer were there.

We were saddened though as we came upon the site were our large beetle was having his picnic. Even though he was enjoying his strawberry clearly off the trail, I guess someone else didn't like having him be a part of their hiking experience so they squished him. Hmmm. One of the moments that make me understand my daughters boyfriends view on trees a little better.

We can as individuals have much greater control over what we experience when we are alone. But in reality, if we were alone on this hike, we probably would have also missed the deer.

Soon we were back on the shuttle, then each of us went our separate ways to our uniquely shaped and colored vehicles, back on the paved roads that took us once again on a journey back to our own individual lives. It was a wonderful day filled with beauty, nature, rocks, water, wind, sand, trees, and yes, wonderful people. (Oh, and beetle squishing people. I think it best for me at this point to just assume the beetle squishing incident was an accident to think it intentional is simply beyond reason for me.)