beWARM

On one of our jaunts about New Mexico, Joey and I headed south toward White Sands National Monument near Alamagordo.  Our well worn New Mexico hiking guide in tow, we pored over our hiking possibilities.

We wanted a challenge, but had limited time. We selected a hike called Dog Canyon, described as “strenuous” because of the elevation gain.  Our book did not elaborate the reason behind the name, but did state that the trail was used by the Apache Indians from 1850 to 1881 as a route of retreat from military forces.

Upon approaching the trail head, our hearts sank a bit. The terrain looked brown and scrubby, rather uninteresting. Knowing that at this point in the day, it was this hike or no hike at all, we resigned to the fact that if exercise was a priority, we’d better hit the trail. When we got tired of huffing and puffing, we would just turn around.

Off we went, with little expectations beyond burning some calories to justify dessert after dinner. The start of the hike was unremarkable.

As we climbed higher, little specks of color began to peek out of the otherwise drab landscape. As our curiosity piqued, our steps quickened.  Patches of yellow desert flowers were everywhere, sprinkling sun-soaked loveliness across the landscape, delighting our eyes.

We marveled at nature’s surprise – and, as always, agreed that God’s creation is nothing short of magnificent.

Being able to condense thoughts into compact form –  a diminutive dialect that can be used when all else fails, is a delicious secret.

We have preserved the memory of that hike in two short words that have become our verbal shorthand for the following:

~Things are not what they seem.
~Don’t prejudge a person or situation.
~Give something the benefit of the doubt.
~Looks are deceiving.
~There is hidden beauty in everything.

In the years following that hike,  when it might be easy to fall into that trap of not looking beneath the surface long enough to give someone or something a chance, the mental image of that day returns.

When that moment arrives, and all other words miss the mark, we smile as we knowingly utter our reminder…

Dog Canyon.

While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation. ~Maya Angelou~

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson ~