Gratitude is Happiness Doubled by Wonder

  Seven years ago this week, Bonnie and I were hiking in Glacier National Park. At one point we took a short boat shuttle ride across a lake that connected to a hiking trail. As the boat was approaching the far bank, we saw a large mother bear and her cub along the shoreline. They seemed to notice us, and disappeared into the woods near the trailhead. As we got off the boat to start hiking, we were more alert than usual, and I had my can of "bear spray" (a pepper-based deterrent that is usually effective) close at hand. Shortly after we started the hike, we heard a noise near the trail, and then suddenly saw our "mama bear" rise up on her hind legs in the trees about 10 yards away, staring at us for several moments before dropping back down and moving away. With camera in one hand and bear spray in the other, I quickly and instinctively snapped one of the most memorable photos of my life. I recall being more startled than frightened at the moment this occurred. I kn

  Today is "National Book Lovers Day" and so clearly that topic must be addressed. I've loved books almost as long, and almost as deeply, as I've loved ice cream and mountains. The first attached photo shows me commemorating the day in our previous home a few years ago. The second attached photo shows me perched on the horns of a dilemma. I love the feel of a traditional book in my hands; I love its weight, its smell. I love turning pages, sometimes making pencil notes, flipping backwards to confirm a detail or clarify a point, and I love having a visible stack of books currently being read or to be read. But now there's this thing called e-books. They don't feel or smell the same as the old paper version, but dang, they are convenient, and I am coming to appreciate that more. You can quickly search the text; you can access it on multiple devices; you can keep notes; you can even listen to audio narration of the text while driving or hiking. You can have dozen

  There's an aspect of communication that I've been thinking about recently - the importance of eye-to-eye contact. It's a somewhat subtle form of showing interest and commitment to a conversation; it demonstrates focus and paying attention. It can also signal strength, honesty, respect, concern, or sincerity. Avoiding eye contact can be a sign of deceit, dishonesty, lack of confidence, or submission. Note the word "can" used several times in the above paragraph. We should be cautious about making judgements too quickly; some people struggle with eye contact for a variety of other reasons. But in general, my experience has been that eye contact can significantly enhance communication; it's one of the forms of "body language" that can help us gain information as we try to interchange thoughts and ideas. An old statement, sometimes attributed to Shakespeare, Cicero, or the Bible, says "the eyes are the window to the soul." Certainly we can le

   I had a brief encounter earlier today with a man I'd never met before. As we greeted each other, he gazed at the top of my head and said, "You've done a good job of hanging on to all that." I noticed then that he had a pretty significantly receded hairline. I chuckled and said, "Well, I had about as much to do about that as you did with yours." We commented on the joys of aging and other physical processes in our lives. There are a few aspects of our physical appearance that we do control, but a whole lot that we don't. Another personal example - due to genetics or fate or luck, I was born with large ears. I was the victim of some pretty severe teasing in elementary school (and even through high school) about them - "Hey Dumbo, if you learned to wiggle those ears, I'll bet you could fly!" My tender young ego had a hard time with this. At one point my mother, bless her heart, actually took me to a plastic surgeon to see if adjustments co

Today I returned to a trail that I have hiked many times before. I had an experience similar to many of the previous hikes. As I returned down the trail after summitting, I noticed the remains of a stone structure right alongside the trail. I have no idea what the history of that structure is, what its purpose may have been, how long ago - that all remains a mystery. But I noted again today, as I have many times in the past - I didn't even see the stones and cement on the way up, even though they are right alongside the trail! But they are very obvious to me on the way down every time I hike this trail. I've pondered this scenario. I think as I'm climbing, my attention naturally focuses on the challenges, opportunities, and scenery that are before me. But then on the return, when I'm not exerting as much, I might be more aware of the surroundings. Certainly there is a lesson in this. Sometimes we need to turn our perspective around in order to discover new aspects to a

  I'm convinced that truth and wisdom is found in many sources throughout the world. I love considering the insights I find in many places, including on Facebook and other places on the Internet! This is a good example. Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher who lived sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C., possibly a contemporary of Confucious (though some scholars believe he might not have been an actual person, and the writings attributed to him were really a compilation of sayings from a variety of Taoist thinkers). And in fact, it's probable that this quote is not from Lao Tzu nor the Taoist tradition. But we can consider its merit regardless. (I try to be careful about attributing thoughts to the right source....) This saying is a generalization - clearly there are causes of anxiety and depression beyond the perspectives described. Sometimes living in the past, or in the future, can bring a good deal of peace as we remember cherished experiences or anticipate

On our recent river trip through Cataract Canyon, we were introduced to the story of Buzz Holmstrom. In 1937 he achieved a remarkable feat - in a wooden boat he had built himself in his mother's basement for $20, he started alone in Green River Wyoming, and journeyed down the Green River to where it joins the Colorado River in southern Utah, then on through Cataract Canyon, Glen Canyon (Lake Powell didn't exist yet), and the full length of the Grand Canyon, ending up Lake Mead. He made the 1,100 mile trip all by himself in 52 days. Having recently experienced the power and majesty of the rapids in Cataract Canyon, in a modern customized rubber raft, I am in awe of the feat. And to do it alone, in unknown and undocumented territory, as a relatively inexperienced river runner! Newspapers and magazines around the country reported on the achievement, and Holstrom became instantly famous. But he despised the attention and remained humble and introspective about the achievement. In 1

   When you're on an extended outdoor adventure - sleeping in tents, hiking, cooking outdoors, floating on a river - you kind of hope for good weather. Dealing with rain and wind creates significant complications. For those who believe in prayer, it can feel appropriate to pray for good weather - for the rain to bypass or delay, for winds to be mild, for temperatures to be comfortable. Normally those kinds of thoughts can be appropriate. But in our current situation in the western US, we are in a severe multi-year drought, desperately in need of rain. We've been encouraged by religious and government leaders alike to pray for MORE rain! I've sometimes imagined the dilemma God must face when half the people are praying for rain and half are praying for no rain. This scenario is not unique to our current situation. Often a farmer may be pleading for rain to sustain his crops, but at the same time the family of a young bride desperately wants clear weather for their outdoor re

   Floating or paddling down a river is often a very calm and relaxing activity. But even in the "quiet" sections, there are occasional risks and obstacles that require awareness and caution. Rocks that barely protrude might not be noticed, and can be damaging and disruptive. Rocks that are barely under the surface can be harder to notice; they can be detected by ripples and current changes. Protruding sticks are evidence of a submerged log, and they can be sharp and piercing. Fortunately, the material the rafts are made of is very strong and not readily damaged by this kind of obstacle, especially in slow-moving water. A greater risk might be toppling a stand-up paddleboarder who is not paying attention, or damaging a smaller inflatable kayak. In the area of rapids and fast water, there are much greater risks and dangers that naturally produce a high level of alertness! There's always a danger of becoming complacent in life. We get comfortable in routines, used to our no

  In many dry or desert areas such as southern Utah, there's a fascinating and unusual life form that many newcomers are not aware of. THE DIRT IS ALIVE! A large portion of the ground (estimated at up to 70%) in these areas is covered with a crust called cryptobiotic soil, cryptogamic soil, biological soil crust, or simply biocrust. This kind of soil crust is actually found around the world. "Cryptobiotic" means "hidden life," and that's a good description of what the soil crust is. See the photos I took last week. A form of cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) is one of the oldest life forms on earth and is a primary component. This organism is dormant when dry, but when it gets wet, it moves through the soil leaving a web of fibers that join the soil, making it more resistent to erosion and able to absorb and retain moisture. Other organisms - lichen, mosses, green algae, fungi, and other bacteria - grow into the web of fibers on the soil, and cr