This is the 3rd or 4th time I have traveled throughout Utah over the past couple of years and I have to tell you that it somehow manages to get more and more beautiful each time. I have been here during the summer months at which time it is hotter than hell, but still magnificent. The fall months are fantastic as well because you can enjoy the dramatic scenery without melting into the ground from the desert heat. I am now enjoying this breathtaking place during the dead of winter and just when I thought it could not get any prettier that is when the snow came. Sprinkle that frosty sparkly white stuff all over everything and you got your self one hell of a fabulous scene.
What better way to explore the wild wild west territory than to venture through all the various state and national parks?! I thought Colorado was loaded with parks, but in my opinion it ain't got nothing on what Utah has to offer. If you enjoy the outdoors or even if you don't enjoy the great outdoors then stay in your car, but either way please make the time to spend a couple of weeks wondering through this enormously diverse land. It is almost like blasting off on a spaceship and exploring another planet!! I know there are no guarantees in life, but trust me when I say that you won't regret making the effort to witness the magnificent sights that Utah has to offer!
Unfortunately we did not have an unlimited amount of time to spend visiting all the great parks that are housed in this mighty state, but we did manage to swing through the Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce Canyon National Parks. We also made it to Goblin Valley State Park, Capital Reef National Park, the Scenic Byway 12 drive and last but certainly not least Zion National Park. Man-o-man what a surreal way to spend your time meandering in and out of canyons, climbing up and down switchback trails and let us not overlook the shear beauty that you witness while you are sitting in the car cruising the crazy curves over the miles and miles of road that it takes to cover all of these magical wonderlands.
Words cannot explain how powerful these places are and how small you will feel once you are standing in the middle of their majestic beauty. The many millions of years it took to create the very scene that is in front of you. Pictures cannot capture all that has gone into forming the ground you are now standing on or all the energy and determination that is displayed in every direction you look in.
I am not particularly religious, but there is definitely a feeling that you cannot explain, one which takes over you while you are out there breathing in the fresh crisp air and truly paying attention to every single thing around you. A feeling that is not your every day run of the mill "oh wow look at this" kind of feeling. The longer you stand there trying to wrap your brain around how all of this got here in the first place, the more you realize that there are truly no ordinary moments in life.
The rocks you see, the ocean you swim in, the air you breathe, the mountains you climb, the sun that warms you and the stars that twinkle at you in the nights sky are all wildly magnificent. Clearly I could go on and on with all of this, but I am pretty sure you get my point. We are all tiny specs in the grand scheme of things and yet we get so caught up in our own little worlds that we forget to notice how lucky we are and what a fantastically awesome planet we live on.
I mean if the gravity that makes it possible for our physical bodies not to float off into the great depths of the black void we refer to as outer space was just a fraction of a percent higher or lower than it actually is then none of us would exist. Our planet, for all its harsh blunders, is the only one of its kind that has thus far proven to sustain human life. Regardless of weather or not you are an advocate of recycling, believe in global warming or cooling or whatever you want to call it or even if you are a fan of the mighty outdoors; I ask that you take a moment from your day to stand outside, look around and take a deep breath of the air that surrounds you. A breath that fills your lungs completely up, hold it for a second and as you slowly release it I want you to realize how lucky you are to be alive on this completely amazing planet.
Life is short people, so don't waste it being bent out of shape over pointless things. I know that it is easy to get caught up in acquiring a bunch of pretty things and making a ton of money in order to better collect your worldly possessions, but if you don't take the time to appreciate all that is in front of you, all that is given to us by mother nature then you are missing out. Grab a loved one this weekend and head for the beach or the mountains or your local park and take a walk. If you don't have anyone that you feel like walking with then just go on your own and celebrate your existence, relish in the simple fact that you standing exactly where you are in this spectacular moment in time. Remember that there are no ordinary moments in life, so gulp it all in. Every last second of it, let the tension slide away and replace it with joy and happiness.
If you have hurt someone then apologize to them and if someone has hurt you then forgive them. We are after all... only human.
Happy Holidays!
XO
Georgie
