My Favorite Things

I packed my orange Ogio backpack with some picnic essentials: a sliced turkey sandwich on whole grain wheat bread with mayo, mustard, havarti cheese, and thick romaine lettuce; books, both a non-fiction (the scriptures), and a novel (Empire Falls); my iPod, fully charged; a freshly baked, homemade chocolate chip cookie (for just the right moment); and my Sigg water bottle filled with ice cold fridge water (I am a full supporter of reducing our dependency on plastics).  I took a drive up canyon road, after dropping a much needed package off at the BYU mail services, and stopped at the Mt. Timpanogas Park in Provo Canyon.  Seeing as it was a Wednesday afternoon, the park was completely desolate, with the exception of passers-by on the Provo River trail. 80 pristine acres of trees, pavilions, flowers, and freshly trimmed grass just for me. 

I picked a corner of the park with a golden view of the majestic peaks looming overhead, nestled beside a set of triplet trees.  The sun was beating, washing out the color of the canyon, and the air was hot.  Lying in the grass, headphones in and listening to Norah Jones, I cracked open my novel, started to read, and nibbled at the delectable turkey sandwich I prepared for myself.  With mysterious flying bugs landing on my sweet, moist skin, and sipping from my thermos-like water bottle, I could swear I was in another world.  I felt complete.  I felt like everything in the world was at peace.  It was a genuinely authentic experience, and I want to go back tomorrow.

I love anything authentic.  I believe that appreciating the authentic moments, authentic people, authentic objects and possessions we have in this life keeps us alive.  Anything authentic is alive and blossoming with beauty, even if the exterior isn't always appealing to the eye.