Have you ever seen or heard something something so staggeringly gorgeous that it made you say “holy shit?”
We should all try to be open to those moments. Sunsets. Waves crashing. Snowfall.
On my way to Mom’s from the coast the other day, I stopped a few times between Depoe Bay and Newport to look at the waves and to take a few pictures of the sunny morning. Coming through the hills between Newport and Philomath there’s a spot that was clear cut a decade or so ago. Hills and valleys. The sun was streaming over the hills, lighting up the trees and last of the low hanging morning fog. Making the water slick black rock towering over the road glow.
Holy shit. Beautiful.
Some people want to get where they are going as quickly as possible. I have the opposite approach on a road trip: get there in a way that gets me the most “holy shit” moments. I am infamous for stopping at every scenic viewpoint. Pulling over to take pictures. Taking pictures from in the car. Saying “wow” a lot.
I have more pictures of dramatic cloud formations, sunbeams and rainbows than anyone you know.
My approach to a long drive annoys some people. Those are not my people.
My people are the ones who say “did you see that?” and “let’s leave early so we can stop a few times on the way.”
The ones who will pull over to watch the sun go down just to try to see the green flash.
The ones who make room for those holy shit moments.
Enjoy life.