A Splash of Encouragement

A Splash of Encouragement
            Life is a roller coaster, with ups, downs, twists and turns coming at varying speeds and intensity levels. That is true for any individual, but it can also be experienced collectively, within a family, a local community or worldwide.
            Recent years have given the world and everyone in it more roller coaster thrills than any of us could wish for. It’s hard to imagine things will take a solid turn for the better. Just when we pass a perilous curve or loop-the-loop and think we’ve hit a calm stretch, another emergency pops up.
            Nature experiences repeated trauma as well. This is the time of year when I wonder if the salmon are making their way up nearby creeks to spawn. After so many years of drought and low salmon counts, one wonders how they survive at all.
            This season, however, we’ve had some impressive rainstorms. There have been many more salmon sightings in the creeks. This is encouraging, despite knowing that next year might be tough again.
            If the salmon can keep trying, so can we humans. Blind determination to survive is a powerful force. Sometimes simple persistence and a belief in the basic goodness of the world are what get us through the day.
            My short-term goal is to hike along a creek where I might see salmon swimming upstream. My long-term goal for myself is the same goal I wish for readers, to keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Lagunitas Creek Walk, a shady path walk that offers views of spawning salmon if timing is lucky.
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This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 45): Lagunitas Creek Walk
 
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