One of the blessings of my Appalachian home is that there’s always some little treasure to find. I’m the guy who always seems to be drawn off the pathway to examine whatever might be in bush. Insects, small flowers, animal tracks and odd shaped stones are irresistible to me. There are little treasures everywhere. We just need to slow down and find them.
The image above was taken in Jodie, West Virginia, Fayette County.
I can’t believe it’s still Winter. Well, more to the point, I don’t want to believe it’s still Winter. I’ve had enough of gray skies, muddy roads, cold and damp. I want to see green grass, blue skies and life everywhere I look. I miss the butterflies and honeybees that fill my yard. Warm weather brings songbirds to my mountain. I know each one of them by their voices. Some of them have returned every year to live in the brambles in the edge of my yard.
The Ironweed in the photo is a late summer flower. It emerges during the warmest part of the year.
Today I’m hiding from ice and snow but in my heart it’s still Summer.
I spent most of the day listening to the soundtrack of my youth. Specifically, Simple Man by Lynard Skynard. It’s an anthem for young men of my age group who grew up in rural Appalachia. The lyrics speak of valuing the truly meaningful things in life like love, family and time spent experiencing life. I’ve considered the concept most of day and decided to add a few thoughts.
A trophy is meaningless if it wasn’t earned. No struggle means no victory.
Never confuse lust for love. Lust goes away eventually. Love will carry you for a lifetime.
Don’t confuse a simple life with a life of poverty. It’s okay to have stuff but don’t value your stuff to the point it rules your life.
Don’t spend too much time climbing the ladder. The best thing you can ever give your family is you.
Don’t mistake complaining for a plan of action. Simply pointing out a problem won’t make it go away. Learn how to see the roots of the issue and put action into resolution.
Don’t confuse quality of life with quantity of life. This one is a little hard to nail down. Everyone has their own idea of what quality they admire. One person might want to travel to exotic localities while another just wants to care for a family.
I guess my point is that it’s good to examine your life and ve sure that you’re not being so busy building a life that you miss out on living. The noise and pressure of voices on tv and such trying to define what our goals should be can get a little overwhelming. It’s good to push them back and make sure we actually value those opinions.
As humans, we tend to be a reflection of our friends and family. We absorb into ourselves the perspectives of those around us. I’m not certain where the quote came from but I’ve heard it said that, Just as water conforms to the vessel which holds it so does a man conform to his peers.” This why it’s important to surround yourself with people who have the right outlook on life.
If you surround yourself with people that constantly negative then you will eventually become negative yourself. But, if you can find those people who rise to the challenge then you yourself will began to rise. Subconsciously you will reshape yourself to fit the group.
I’ve been blessed with the best peers that life can offer. And I appreciate each and every one of you and I hope that I reflect you well!
Tonight’s image is on the Kanawha River. Looking out over Kanawha Falls in Glen Farris West Virginia.
It the middle of a open field on the property where I grew up stands this lone Yellow Poplar. Now, I presume that quite a few people won’t understand why that’s a little odd. These trees do not resist strong winds very well. They tend to be found in clumps. Alone, this tree has no protection against storms. And yet, it’s been there surviving everything the weather can throw at it. I’ve seen it covered in ice, heavy snow and blasted with cyclone strength winds. This tree should have broken a very long time ago. Yes it’s got a few battle scars. These are reminders of the storms that failed as it stood defying the gale force winds.
Sometimes we wonder why the storm happened in our lives. There will always be a storm. But branches and leaves will grow back eventually. Like this tree our strength isn’t in the branches that can be broken. Our strength is in our strong roots than anchor us in the storm.
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