Sunday was a good day and what was especially positive about it was that we broke out of a rut and actually got out of town for a change. As I mentioned yesterday we planned to go to Estes Park. I have really only been there once or twice and frankly I don’t remember it being so strikingly beautiful. This town sites in a valley of 7500 feet and it looks totally surrounded by the snow-covered Rocky Mountains. You haven’t really seen mountains in the U.S. if you haven’t been through the Rocky Mountains or the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
Mountains are uplifting to me. They remind me that we can reach higher, that we can stretch into the sky. We stopped at dog-park as we came into Estes to let Pax run and play for a while. I found myself in awe as I looked at the mountains. Later the view from the famous old Stanley Hotel was jaw dropping. Nature’s beauty and power will knock your sox off. We also saw herds of elk walking about looking dressed for the winter.
It feels so good to get out there away from routines, away from the habitual activities of the familiar. Nature is a wonderful break from the ordinary, so too is the change of scene of resort town full of tourist stops and cabins for rent. Something happens inside when I change the outside.
That change involves moving out of my known world into a world full of the unknown. Inside that excites my thoughts, expands my pulse of aliveness and opens me to new experiences. This trip was just a short one but it got me thinking about a real road trip or a vacation to explore not only new places in the world but new places inside that get stimulated by adventure.
Change is such a positive force for good in the world. Whether it is changing the outside or the inside, the world needs us all to look at things from a new perspective so we can find real solutions to the challenges that face us.
Even small changes can make a difference, so what changes will you make this week to stir things up for you? What will you do differently so you can see from a new viewpoint?
One last thought, have you ever spent any real time exploring your own inner nature, the contours of your own thoughts and emotions, or the workings of your spirit? This venture into your own inner landscape will provide you beautiful vistas and inspirational aspects of your own higher nature. Take a drive inward and be in awe.