TRAVEL-MINDFULNESS
Mysteries of the Grand Canyon
Not just your average hole in the ground
I remember as a kid hearing the story of Noah’s ark and how the earth was covered with water. I would see photos of the Grand Canyon and think it would take a whole lot of water to cover the canyon!
How could a river be so strong to carve out solid rock?
I had no frame of reference. I lived in Ohio and the furthest places I’d ever visited were Michigan and Indiana. Seeing the Grand Canyon in person was beyond my imagination.
I was intrigued by the Lawrence Kasdan movie with Steve Martin, Grand Canyon, when it came out in 1991. It is a story of several characters, each going through a life-changing crisis who end up at the Grand Canyon. When they arrive at the canyon, they realize life is bigger than themselves. They realize life carves a way through despair. They see the possibilities within the stone. They embrace the quiet and quiet their hearts.
It took me 50 years before I was able to see the Grand Canyon on a trip to five national parks. For me, it was more about finally arriving rather than being transcendental.
My mere existence to see this place was a monumental pilgrimage of sorts. I had been through a carving process of my own, as I…
