Thursday, July 11, 2013

A Wise Man Once Said.

  When I was much younger and much smaller than I am now, I was very lucky to have the chance to start traveling early and enjoy many of the sights throughout the west coast and various parts of the country. Ive been pretty lucky to have gone to the places I have been. I have had the chance to see pods of Orca swimming off the North Pacific coast and feeding in their natural habitat. Ive woken up to the sounds of wild coyotes and mountain lions in Grand Mesa. Witnessed wild bears eating what would have been some poor fella's dinner out of their own cooler too lol.

  When I was little, my father took it upon himself to show me and my family wildlife and the outdoors for what it truly was. Granted we never went on an African safari or anything like that, I still had the chance to see the raw beauty of nature and the power of its elements. We traveled a lot, and when we did it was by our trusty old 79' dodge van. Me, my older sister and baby brother would be loaded up and we would hit the road. Where were we going? Probably somewhere camping. Our favorite thing to do!

  What does one do when traveling in the back of this wagon? As a wise man told me once (well maybe several times lol) "Put away what your doing and enjoy the sights outside the window, these things may not always be there and may be gone when your older." That wise man was my father, and as you should do at that age, I listened. I saw bears, deer, and other wildlife along the way that had I not looked, I would have missed. I was also seeing our beautiful country for what it was and seeing all the beautiful mountain ranges and forests it had to offer. Oh and we cant forget all the highway patrol cars I spotted in their natural habitat (wink wink lol).

  All joking and stories aside, I realize now what my father was talking about. when your younger you think, "Yeah that tree will still be there" or "that river wont disappear" or "I would rather text my friends" in the case of some of this younger generation. You don't really realize or think of the impact we have on nature or what people and industrialization is doing to it, when you are that young. Your a kid, you just want to do your thing and have fun right? You don't realize as a kid or adolescent that in future years of your life, all of your wilderness surroundings could be turned to hard, cold, concrete. Turned to dust and rebuilt into homes, shopping centers, and maybe sky scrapers.

  This all sounds beautiful right? Well to a generation like mine and to the older generations behind me, WRONG. That just sounds like an over crowded box of heat and dry concrete jungle. No trees, No beautiful streams, lakes and forests to enjoy and cool off in. No camping sites with a fire to roast marshmallows on. No waking up to a deer outside your tent and hearing the beautiful silence of the forest in the morning. Just concrete everywhere and cars with crowded highways.

  How do we solve this you ask? Here is your answer. The exact same way my father did. Get your small wonderful child to enjoy the sights and wildlife we have in this country or wherever you are. Help them build a love for life and the things god put here. Take them out into the way the world was before cell phones, portable game systems, and other electronics. Show them how people survived and how they had before all of those things. Take them hiking, camping, fishing, floating down a river on a raft, or just for a simple stroll in the woods. It wont cost you an arm and a leg and it will help you connect with them on a much deeper level too. I know it did with me and my father.

  We need to show our younger generations and even our own, how to appreciate and love nature for its magnificence. We need to show them its beauty and importance in our life and to our existence. It is important for all of us to do this and pass this along for future generations so everyone will know to take care of our wonderful planet, before these wonderful things are gone and its too late. Its up to no one person to do this alone, but it is up to all of us and every single person makes a difference.

  So as Ive said, take your child or friend, show them the outdoors and nature for all of its wonders. Do as my father once did for me and my family, for one day all of this may be gone. Never take things in life for granted. Take care of them and enjoy everything for what it is. As a wise man once said, nothing is forever!

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