Golden Moments

 

Cliffs and canyon dominate the landscape of the National Parks of the American Southwest. 

Kolob Canyon, Zion National Park

The grandeur of the rock formations in places like Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon or Zion National Park is undeniable, But the fleeting beauty of aspens dressed in fall finery was something I looked forward to on our retirement trip. 

We saw glimpses of fall foliage at the national parks earlier in our trip. 

At Bryce Canyon

But it wasn't until the drive leading toward the north rim of the Grand Canyon - the final national park on our itinerary - that we finally could walk into a grove of aspens. The trip along Cape Royal Road was a visual treat.

One of my friends often goes to Colorado in the fall to witness the changing of the seasons. She has beautiful photos of aspens from her travels. I may not have gotten any photos to rival the artwork on her walls, but it was still a highlight of our trip for me. (I did add a couple of enlargements featuring aspens to my fall decor.)

Not only that, aspens could teach us a thing or two:

From afar, a forest of aspen trees is a wonder to behold. Dig a little deeper, and you'll find something even more fascinating. Every single one of the aspen trees in a grove is connected as a single living organism. Aspen trees have a complex underground root system from which each individual tree sprouts and grows. 

From The Secret Lives of Aspen Groves, The Weather Channel

Being interconnected is probably a lesson from which we could all learn, especially during an election season.

Writer Gail Goodwin had this to say in that regard: 

 

Imagine a world where we all acted like aspen trees ...

• Move aside to help and encourage the sunlight to shine on those below us.
• Share energy and stress with one another as a unit, so that we can better handle the ups and downs of life.
• When someone is in need, share our abundance, knowing that, as a part of the whole, we can never truly be in need.
• Know that we are all one with no need for competition.
• Know that our roots are deep and can withstand even the worst of disasters.  

Small aspens were growing in landscape that had been scathed by fire.

•  Just like the aspen tree, we are all connected to one another at the source of our being. We are all brothers and sisters. We are all a part of something so much greater than our individual selves. We are connected by our roots.

And yes, that is true whether we're Republican or Democrat or Independent ... or any other definition you can attach to others or to yourself. 

 

Go spend time with aspen trees. They'll tell you to look to your roots for energy. They'll tell you there's warmth below the surface.

Kaya McLaren, author, How I Came to Sparkle Again