I've posted some essays in Outdoors over the years and some folks have seemed to enjoy reading them. I decided to post this one here, too, for obvious reasons.
Hope you find it worthwhile.
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School Buses in Big Sur
I want to say we cruised Highway 1 from Monterey to Big Sur and back, but cruising is the wrong verb. It implies smooth movement. This was anything but, as we pulled over more than a dozen times in the 30-mile journey down and almost as many times on the return trip, too.
The entire round-trip took us over 3 hours and would have taken us all day had it not been raining. Even with the rain, it was still stunning. Steep, but grazable, lush green hillsides sloping into the rocky Pacific coastline.
Every pull off had visitors like us, holding up their phone cameras like us, trying to capture an image to do the landscape justice like us, and failing…like us.
At some point, you realize the best thing to do is just bask in the view, let it wash over you and soak it in.
As we were working our way back north, we crossed paths with a school bus. I couldn't help but wonder what the kid on the bus who had lived his life going up and down this road thought of it all the scenery and those of us visiting it.
Or was it all so ordinary to him, he had become numb to it all long ago?
I started thinking about this school bus again today, on Easter. I realized, that I am the boy on the bus.
The story of the cross began hitting my ears before I understood words. I've heard and read of the miracle of resurrection all of my days. I've always carried the blessing of forgiveness of my lengthy and growing list of sins.
And if I am honest, most of the time I am mostly numb to it all. Yes, it is there and I am aware and grateful, but the stunning glory of it all has become "ordinary".
When I do contemplate it, my words and thoughts are inadequate - like the phone camera that can't capture Big Sur.
And that has me thankful for both Easter and the boy on the bus.
Thankful for the occasion to celebrate and the reminder that even if I cannot comprehend it or describe it, I can bask in it as it washes over me.
Happy Easter.
Hope you find it worthwhile.
---------------------------
School Buses in Big Sur
I want to say we cruised Highway 1 from Monterey to Big Sur and back, but cruising is the wrong verb. It implies smooth movement. This was anything but, as we pulled over more than a dozen times in the 30-mile journey down and almost as many times on the return trip, too.
The entire round-trip took us over 3 hours and would have taken us all day had it not been raining. Even with the rain, it was still stunning. Steep, but grazable, lush green hillsides sloping into the rocky Pacific coastline.
Every pull off had visitors like us, holding up their phone cameras like us, trying to capture an image to do the landscape justice like us, and failing…like us.
At some point, you realize the best thing to do is just bask in the view, let it wash over you and soak it in.
As we were working our way back north, we crossed paths with a school bus. I couldn't help but wonder what the kid on the bus who had lived his life going up and down this road thought of it all the scenery and those of us visiting it.
Or was it all so ordinary to him, he had become numb to it all long ago?
I started thinking about this school bus again today, on Easter. I realized, that I am the boy on the bus.
The story of the cross began hitting my ears before I understood words. I've heard and read of the miracle of resurrection all of my days. I've always carried the blessing of forgiveness of my lengthy and growing list of sins.
And if I am honest, most of the time I am mostly numb to it all. Yes, it is there and I am aware and grateful, but the stunning glory of it all has become "ordinary".
When I do contemplate it, my words and thoughts are inadequate - like the phone camera that can't capture Big Sur.
And that has me thankful for both Easter and the boy on the bus.
Thankful for the occasion to celebrate and the reminder that even if I cannot comprehend it or describe it, I can bask in it as it washes over me.
Happy Easter.