Reflections

A tree, a star, a park---

These are small reflections of a beauty nearly forgotten by probably 85% of humanity, especially the ones who live where I do. Their concerns are of shopping, theaters, coffeepots potentially left on; a smorgasbord of daily worries and activities that consume our attention nearly constantly. But somewhere in my mind, beyond all these concerns, beyond the convenience of living near a Wal-Mart, beyond the everyday grind; there is a place in my heart that remains empty here. A place that yearns for something….LESS. And yet so much MORE.

A place filled only by being in the Colorado Rockies.

Or, as I can sometimes arrogantly think of them, MY Rockies. MY Rockies, where the sound of one vehicle is rare enough to warrant a look toward the only road in sight; gravel, of course. Where simple amenities like toilets, running water, and electricity are missed, in their turn; but not enough to keep you away. Where “exercise” doesn’t mean driving to the gym and running in place on a treadmill for an hour—it means hiking to the top of a mountain, where your reward is not only lost inches around your waist, but the sheer grandeur of the panorama around you.

Countless trees, bright myriads of stars, national parks so big it would take days to traverse them on foot---

These are the originals to the reflections in the city.

There’s something humbling about standing on a summit being completely dwarfed by the miles of valley, hills, and forest around you. Something fulfilling about puffing your way to the top of a rock outcropping at over 9,000 feet above sea level that makes touching the sky seem like less of a dream and more of a possibility. There’s something healing about sitting in a glade beside a stream, wondering if anyone has EVER been here before, it’s so untouched. And there’s something incredibly therapeutic about sitting round a campfire with people you love and respect, just talking and laughing together.

Yes, my Rockies are the most beautiful place in the world, but more than that—they heal and fill the hearts of those of us who love them.

This is why I love Colorado.

What about you? What makes you feel completely at ease and utterly content? What makes life’s killing pressures disappear, if only for a time? Comment below!