"All men naturally desire knowledge. An indication of this is our esteem for the senses; for apart from their use we esteem them for their own sake, and most of all the sense of sight."
--- Opening to Metaphysics by Aristotle
It has been a treat having our son Jay and his wife Sasha along with their new puppy JoJo vacation with us in Montana.
We've appreciated how these newlyweds embrace terms like "my wife" and "my husband" in referring to each other, obviously still very much in the honeymoon stage after spending almost half of their married life quarantined together 24-hours a day.
Because of flexible office scheduling, they're able to work remotely, so I guess "vacation" may not be the right term for their stay in Big Sky.
They both are dedicated to their successful careers and do their best to carry on as if they were in their respective offices, but they have found time in the morning to join us for hikes and in the evening for cribbage, darts or to watch movies from Amazon Prime or a network to which they subscribe.
We've also had fun playing with JoJo, the puppy who joined their household a month into the pandemic.
Like most of you, I have lived a very privileged life.
As have our children.
Having them with us encouraged me to consider again just how blessed we have been.
I sincerely believe that in looking at the world with a grateful attitude, we bend reality to our highest and best life fulfillment.
We've been blessed since birth, or perhaps I should say prior to that.
It started before we were born by virtue of the parents who contributed to our DNA.
Beyond that, our parents chose where they raised us, made the sacrifices necessary to be certain it was a safe place where we could get a proper education during which we learned to be Americans, and set good examples for us.
Going back more generations, we have been beneficiaries of the choices each of those predecessors made in choosing their spouses and what types of lives they built for their families.
Do we choose our own parents, as some philosophers theorize, or did God simply put us into their ever-loving care?
I lean toward the prior, through some amalgam of DNA and spirituality although not everyone arrived in the world in such ideal circumstances, with a two parent household prepared to take on the substantial financial and loving-care obligations of having children.
My older sister also proved to be wonderful, playing with her little brother. Later in school, Darlene was always a positive role-model who made teachers not interpret my name with dread due to anything my sister had done previously.
My parents always encouraged me to behave, respect authority, treat my friends with mutual respect and do my best. I can't say that I always succeeded, but at least I had the benefit of such guidance.
The expanded family included wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and after marriage, terrific in-laws which reinforced the reality that continues to unfurl as a result of our life choices.
Mom and Dad raised me with an appreciation for beauty, bringing paintings by local artists and attractive furnishings to adorn the inside of our home.
They took Darlene and I on a cross-country trip through the diverse expanses of America every summer as well as weekend trips, mostly around Orange County's plentiful orange groves and strawberry fields which obviously did not remain forever.
Dad and Mom would point out specific features of the landscape to lift our gaze from whatever little game we might be playing finding words on signs or out of state license plates. Sometimes, Dad would be gazing and pointing while driving on a narrow mountain road that would make it a little extra exciting not knowing if we were about to fall off the cliff.
Mom brought us to Sunday School, where I learned from amazing men like Mr. Ball and Dave Willett, who were strong role models in their own right, explaining in depth lessons about the heroes of the Bible which made them come alive. The former became a missionary along with his family in Africa, and the latter was my church camp counselor one year and eventually went on to become an outstanding minister at that same Seal Beach church.
All Christians know Biblical heroes, like the rest of us, are flawed individuals, but that God always has a loving vision for us and would be there to help and protect them and us. Even when the world means something for our harm, God often means it for our good, putting us in the right place to find new doorways leading to more amazing passageways.
Endearing lessons also came through songs, like "Jesus Loves the Little Children" in church or "Accentuate the Positive" sung by Mom as she cheerfully did housework for which she received few thanks but which kept our home comfortable and hygienic. She always kept wrapped candy in the crystal dish on our coffee table which our friends were welcome to eat when they visited.
Dad would invite me to listen to Earl Nightingale motivational records with him, having secrets of the universe like the magic of writing goals and expecting positive outcomes somehow registered.
Not everyone is so blessed, and we must all do our best to help lost children find the proper paths for their own life journeys.
Our efforts don't necessarily require sweeping actions. Treat people equally, and that includes discouraging self-defeating behavior as well as catching people doing something right.
Having lower expectations for any individual or group does them no favor. Never encourage anyone to accept victimhood as an ongoing theme of their lives.
A hero's journey is often fraught with peril, challenges which teach him the lessons he needs to learn to reach his ultimate goal. The world respects the person who responds to challenges to arise victorious, whereas a victim just stews in his own juices and lives an unhappy, unsatisfied life.
Encourage gratitude, because no matter how bad a life path may seem, it can leads somewhere wonderful in the long run. It is the combination of having gratitude for what we have with having a clear vision of what we want our lives to be that is a winning formula.
All photos above are from Ousel Falls Trail on a sunny mid-morning hike.
Hummocks Trail the Next Day
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