The Beauty of Erosion

Are you enjoying your summer thus far?

Summer is by far my favorite season, so I am enjoying the gorgeous weather, the lazy days, the late nights, the beautiful flowers, and the walking outside barefoot.

It's also a time when we usually travel, but this year our planned vacations were canceled. Last weekend we took a very spontaneous road trip to the southern part of our state. I live in Utah which is considered to be a desert but has many climates.

Where I live there are mountains and slightly cooler temps, but in the southern portion of the state it is full-on desert --- hot, dry, red sand, and so on. It is also home to a handful of national parks. So it may be hot and dry, but it is also incredibly beUTAHful.

We took the kids to a part of the state and a national park they had never been to and we had a fabulous weekend together.

I am including here a photo of an arch we saw. Sandstone arches are not unique to Utah, but I had never seen one this golden/white color, and this one is special because it is actually two arches side by side. They are 150 ft tall and 100 ft in diameter.

This arch has a demanding presence, but how did it form?

Like all sandstone arches, they are created through a lot of erosion over a VERY long period of time. They start out as solid sandstone, but through wind, rain, and other natural elements, they transform into these phenomenons that we travel far distances to ooh & ahh over (and take pictures of).

In other words, these arches are only formed by undergoing quite a bit of pressure and change.

Guess what?

We are not that much different. We also work on developing ourselves by being exposed to some discomfort.

This discomfort can come through:

deciding to make a habit change

taking a step towards a goal you have

choosing to react differently than usual

Just like those sandstone arches, it takes a long time (if not a lifetime) to grow and develop ourselves. But, unlike the arches, who do not have a choice in the matter, we get to decide to continually work on reaching our potential and not stop our self-improvement, even when (and especially when) it is tremendously uncomfortable.

The discomfort is a sign of growth!

Just think about how much beauty those arches bring to the world --- they really are awe-inspiring.

But the world needs you and what you have to offer even more.

So today let's all commit to the discomfort of making changes that better serve us. Let's be willing to experience the growing pains that come along with creation so we can share our beauty with the world!

I'd like to challenge you to stop right now and choose one area you want to improve on. An area that you've put off improving because it sounds too hard or impossible. And then just commit to taking the first step, that's it. I promise you will be rewarded and will be well on your way to creating something beautiful.