{"id":18090,"date":"2020-08-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-01T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sasee.wpenginepowered.com\/?post_type=essay&p=18090"},"modified":"2024-03-26T15:08:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T19:08:39","slug":"savor-the-little-things","status":"publish","type":"essay","link":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/essay\/savor-the-little-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Savor the Little Things"},"content":{"rendered":"

Then the path turned and led us straight up a hill covered in wildflowers \u2013 mountain heather, Indian paintbrush, rosy spirea, yellow broadleaf arnica, bluebells, and more.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

Sometimes, when a big thing is missing, little things have their chance to shine.<\/p>\n

Last summer I hiked the Naches Peak Loop at Mount Rainier National Park with a group from the Auburn (Washington) Senior Activity Center. I\u2019ve taken this hike before, and it\u2019s always a thrill. There are enough ups and downs to make hearts pump, but the trail also holds long stretches of smooth, level ground \u2013 opportunities to pause, inhale the mountain air, and drink in the park\u2019s beauty. Dramatic rock formations rise along one section of the path, telling the history of the volcano\u2019s ancient eruptions. Mountain ponds reflect the evergreens and nearby peaks. On clear days, Mount Adams appears in the distance. This 3.5-mile trek is truly a nature lover\u2019s paradise.<\/p>\n

About halfway through the loop trail, the big payoff emerges. Hikers come around a bend and \u2026 BAM! Mount Rainier fills the horizon. It\u2019s enough to take away anyone\u2019s breath, no matter how many times they\u2019ve seen The Mountain. Its glaciers sparkle and its massive bulk overwhelms even the most jaded hiker. On a sunny day, it\u2019s dazzling.<\/p>\n

On my last visit, however, the weather for the Naches Peak hike wasn\u2019t ideal. Drizzle dotted the windows of the senior center van, and clouds drifted up from the valleys, obscuring views of the surrounding mountain peaks. Hike participants zipped up waterproof jackets and stretched covers over backpacks before we started up the trail. Wet weather doesn\u2019t deter this group of seniors.<\/p>\n

Low clouds lent an eerie beauty to Tipsoo Lake as we skirted its shore. Then the path turned and led us straight up a hill covered in wildflowers \u2013 mountain heather, Indian paintbrush, rosy spirea, yellow broadleaf arnica, bluebells, and more. Sometimes the varieties bloomed together in a multicolored bouquet, as if someone had taken a packet of assorted wildflower seeds and broadcast them in the wind. Other times, drifts of white bear grass or an ocean of blue lupine performed monochromatic shows. Wispy clouds rose from the meadows, softening the scene, obscuring the mountain after which the national park was named.<\/p>\n

As I splashed through puddles, stepped carefully across slick rocks, and jumped over rivulets, I wondered why I\u2019d never really noticed the wildflowers before. Had I hiked this trail at the wrong time of year? Had I been preoccupied by the need to avoid tripping over rocks or roots? Why were blooms at the center of my attention today? Then I realized what had happened. Since the star of the show \u2013 the omnipresent snowy slopes of Mount Rainier \u2013 had failed to make an appearance, my sights focused on the more pedestrian beauty right at my feet.<\/p>\n

I think this is often true in life. We\u2019re bombarded with important information \u2013 things that demand our attention \u2013 and we look past the smaller joys. When loud voices assault our ears, gentle whispers are lost in the clamor. Lowly wildflowers can be overlooked when the grandeur of a magnificent mountain dominates the scene.<\/p>\n

I hope the vivid memories of Mount Rainier\u2019s wildflowers will remind me to savor the little things that come my way when bigger things take center stage. If I pay attention, they can bring as much joy as nature\u2019s more majestic creations.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Then the path turned and led us straight up a hill covered in wildflowers \u2013 mountain heather, Indian paintbrush, rosy spirea, yellow broadleaf arnica, bluebells, and more. Sometimes, when a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_gspb_post_css":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"essay_type":[46],"essay-category":[],"class_list":["post-18090","essay","type-essay","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","essay_type-features"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay\/18090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/essay"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay\/18090\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"essay_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay_type?post=18090"},{"taxonomy":"essay-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay-category?post=18090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}