The Beautiful Moment

Last weekend, I went to central California (pismo beach, arroyo grande, and san luis obispo) for a wonderful weekend with E to celebrate our anniversary and to visit my grandmother. This weekend, I visited R, in beautiful Pasadena.

Both trips, I was reminded of just how breathtakingly gorgeous California is in the spring.

As R put it, "for just a minute" each year all of the hills and mountains of California, all of the trails, all of the weeds, basically everything, sprouts a gorgeous lush green with blooming wildflowers, cultivated flowers, blossoming fruit trees, and more.

On a clear day, against a bright blue sky, with the sun beaming down upon you -- this verdant version of California is around 70F, and something out of a dream.

No doubt, in 2 to 3 weeks (if not less), the hills will begin to turn golden (or "brown" as R reminded me, while pointing to the green hills between West LA and Burbank).

This short green phase is nature's way of reminding me to savor the moment. Time moves quickly. When, like this weekend and last weekend, I find myself in a moment of true beauty (be it a solo run on a new-to-me trail in nature, shared meals or discussions with my grandmother and/or husband, or the celebration of R's graduation through shared walks, wine, and sharing plans for the future) I should (and did!) take the time to breathe deeply, to look and fix the visual image in my memory, to listen and fix the sounds in my memory, and to just be, happy and alive in the beautiful moment.