So Many Choices

This past weekend Beth and I drove around some of the areas she often rides her bike to get a sense of the damage caused by the wildfires. Would it be safe for her to get back out on those roads?

What we saw was amazing. We were taken back by the scale and scope of the damage. Some areas were utterly destroyed by the fires.

As we drove through the area we also saw places that were seemingly untouched. It was as if the fire had completely skipped over those green patches.

Towards the end of Beth’s ride loop, we found ourselves at a point way above the ocean overlooking the highway and the ocean. The trees and homes had all been burned away, revealing a vast view of the ocean and sky.

We could see people playing in the water. Children and their families running along the beach and farther out over the water, sailboarders, and kite surfers were enjoying the limitless sunshine, ample winds, and big waves.

The contrast between the burned-out mountainside and the expansive oceanside was immense, giving Beth and me an appreciation for all the wonders of the world. With little more than a mile between them, we marveled at the vast gap between black burned-out spaces and joy mixed with sun and fun.

Our short drive reminded us how important it is to focus on what you want and not on what you don’t want!

The world offers up so much variety and opportunity. We get to choose what we want to pay attention to.

We might think, “it is what it is,” and feel we that don’t really have a choice. But that is never the case.

If we simply turn our heads and look towards the beauty in life, we will begin to see more of it.

As we love to say, you can choose.