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Death Valley?We recently visited Death Valley. The day was cool, as least for Death Valley. At noon it had only gotten to 110 in the shade. For the middle of July that was unusually pleasant. Many of us remember 20 Mule Team Borax. The borax refinery would close duringthis time of the year because the temperature did not drop below 120, the temperature needed for borax to crystallize. Besides the high temperatures, Death Valley is dry. Much of the water has high concentrations of chemicals. This water at the time we were there had evaporated leaving solid crystals of chemicals. The chemicals include many poisons. Death Valley is the lowest point in the United States. It is below sea level. Surrounding it are hills and mountains. Depending on the road you take into the valley, you descend from over a mile above sea level into this inhospitable area below sea level where chemicals gather and there is nowhere for them to flow away. Even the name Death Valley, fills one with a foreboding. So far, there are no redeeming qualities. So, why would anyone willing visit Death Valley? Besides being the lowest point in the country, besides the poison water, besides the dryness, besides the heat, Death Valley is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Driving through Death Valley there is one syllable that keeps leaking out, Awe. The sides of the valley are sandstone. Nature has worn them down into hills and canyons. The chemicals have also colored the sands. There are reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues. The entire rainbow is in the sands. The canyon goes from soft sculpted piles of sand to stark sharp cliffs, from wide open walkways to a natural bridge. There are signs on the walls of ancient waterfalls. The canyon was sculpted by flowing water and winds that blew the sand. It is dry and hot. The lack of water, the heat, and even that name, Death Valley, result in one conclusion, it is inhospitable, yet also one of the most beautiful places on the continent. The formations, the colors, and much more make Death Valley extremely interesting. We know people who limit their environment to malls, offices and cars. They feel threatened by anything outside. They are afraid of the sun, insects and even plants. We may be at the other end of the spectrum. We love almost everything in nature, except mosquitoes. We love waterfalls, caves, geysers, hills and yes, even Death Valley. People are much the same. We have had teachers who only understood one way. Chris was told that she would never make it to college, she has a master’s degree. Dave was told he could not write, you are reading one of his articles now. If we see the world in one set of references we see only the limitations. When we look for what is wrong, we find it. When we take a different prospective and look for the beautiful, the good, the potential, that is what we find. Looking for the best and the potential in everything is, for most of us, a different prospective. By changing our prospective, our point of view, everything starts to look different. Beauty is found everywhere. The nice thing is that it does not flip what we see. Ugly does not become beautiful and beautiful does not become ugly. We start to see everything in the best light. |
