This weekend I ferociously and fearlessly went camping with some of my good friends up in the VA mountains. As we hiked along the beaten trail of Crabtree Falls I sadly realized I was quite out of shape! Wow! My trachea and lungs really got a work out in from all the huffing and puffing I did (guess it's a sign I need to go to the gym ASAP). Once we found a good plot of land we trekked down and planted our things in what we called the "Spider Haven". There were so many different and interesting types of spiders to be seen in this place, it was absolutely amazing! Most people get grossed out and scared by the thought and sight of spiders, but us being nature people we relished in the joy of them camping along side of us by the warm cozy campfire.
What initially caught my eye as soon as we claimed this "Spider Haven" as our home for the next night/day was this dead tree that was perfectly perched over our heads. I looked at it and really thought about what an oxymoron it was. Here we were in this place flourishing with life, from the fun spiders, to the tall grass, to the loud crickets, to the lively chipmunks, to the microscopic organisms in the creek, yet centered around us is this lifeless, old, tree. I proceeded to stand there, under the tree, in awe at what a metaphor for life this was. Death is always looming over us although life is all around. We must always keep our chins up and keep moving forward. Carpe diem. Gravitas.
