photo credit: lesteph

Let’s be thankful for the beauty that surrounds us! Tell us about your favorite borrowed mountain.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

— Thornton Wilder

This week we celebrate our national Thanksgiving holiday.  Earlier this week I savored our connections with each other’s stories.  I rejoiced, if you will, in the fact that we can “learn by listening” instead of “learn by doing” aka, “learn by messing up”. Thanks to other people sharing their stories, we can hope to navigate around known potholes and plot perhaps a smoother path to success.  So I’m thankful we can borrow other people’s solutions.

Moodling About Shakkei

Today I’d like to thankfully moodle (moodle = an enjoyable tinkering that may lead to insight and creativity) about the interesting concept of “shakkei” or “borrowed scenery” – an intriguing technique from the Japanese art of gardening.  In its truest form, shakkei means designing your garden so that it frames a view of far away scenery.  I LOVE this idea – I spent my youth looking up at a magnificent mountain range and I think it left me with an indelible appreciation for the grandeur of God’s creations.

But, I ask you, how many of us are blessed with a nearby mountain vista much less a garden from which to frame such borrowed scenery?  Some I suppose, but not many.  So what about the rest of us?  Can we still practice shakkei?

Well, I’d like to believe we can all “borrow a mountain” and incorporate its beauty and serenity into our view of life. Ah, and some of you thought I was going to crab about mountains of adversity. Instead, during this week of national Thanksgiving, I’d like to celebrate some of the vista’s that fill me with awe and joy and peace and exhilaration! I invite each of you to tell us about your favorite vista as well. And to consider formally “framing” some of these happy scenes into the garden of your life view.

Here are a few of my favorite vistas:

• The John Muir Redwood forest north of San Francisco
• Thunder Bay Falls in the winter
• Wupatki National Monument
• Niagara Falls
• The walled city on the Island of Korcula on the Croatian coast
• The California coast line just south of Monterey

From My Front Porch Looking In

And, before we get too hung up on pretty scenery, let’s keep in mind the lyrics from LoneStar’s hit song, From My Front Porch Looking In:

My blessings are in front of me, it’s not about the land.  The view I love the most is my front porch looking in.

More than likely, your most inspiring vistas are already plastered about your life – photos of your favorite people, times, places and most particularly, celebrations. Your computer screen probably flashes family photos, outings, events and scenes.  As I look around I see souvenir photos from happy excursions to the San Diego GatorFest, previous Thanksgiving gatherings, new baby announcements, a friend’s new pet photos, and let’s not forget the special gifts others have bestowed upon me.

My refrigerator is cluttered with happy reminders of family gatherings and other people’s vacations. Our nearby park boasts a true mountain view that is extraordinary when snow graces our local mountains.  All around me are reminders of the wonderful beauty of life – but I’d be the first one to admit that I often don’t see them, I’m busy doing, I’m on autopilot.

But for this week I think I’ll focus on my “borrowed mountains”, appreciate all that’s gone before and savor all the joys that come my way during this week of Thanksgiving.

Let’s be thankful for the beauty that surrounds us! Tell us about your favorite vista.