Thoughts from the Weekend

Construction for the Blue Ridge Parkway started in 1935, the work contracted as part of FDR’s New Deal following the Great Depression. The Parkway stretches from Shenandoah National Park in VA, 469 miles to Pisgah National Forest in NC. I cannot imagine the blood, sweat and tears that went into clearing the roads, building the stone walls and various lookouts, creating tunnels and more.

It wasn’t completed until 1987 and the sublime end result is too big and beautiful to really put into words. Yes, it is a long road that connects two parks, but that is the simplest of definitions. It is also a place where people go nowadays to escape the modern world. They go to build their own fires, push their bodies to hike a little further and to reconnect with nature. The folks you meet up there are an eclectic bunch, but the parkway has a way of connecting people. If someone gets hurt, you help them. If you need something, just ask a neighbor. I’ve found it to be a wonderful community, simple and kind.

I thought a lot about the construction of the Parkway this weekend because I read a little bit about its history in a pamphlet I picked up at a country store. It got Mike and I talking about all of the beautiful things that came about as a result of the Depression. The conversation, somewhere along the way, evolved into a discussion about the oil crisis and what the hell we, as a nation, are going to do to wean ourselves off of the petroleum teat. Mike said at one point that ingenuity almost always comes from need. Now that we NEED to figure something out, we will. And, I think in the last five years, we have actually come a long way. Conservation has become trendy and where that alone certainly doesn’t solve all of our problems, it at least has made environmentalism something that we are talking about as a country. It’s a step in the right (or maybe I should say left) direction.

If the Great Depression can yield long term results like reformed social and political policies, beautiful roadways, fantastic murals, and more, and today’s crisis can move an oil addicted country towards hybrid vehicles, solar power, and finding better, smarter ways of living, how can this concept be applied to our daily lives?

I know that wonderful things have come out of the hard times in my life. The struggle to a better place can soften the soul, open the heart and engage the mind.

Maybe, though, I will think about it when I have little, everyday kind of struggles as well. When I am cranky or upset, it is an opportunity for me to discover what isn’t working in my life and do something to improve it. My godmother always says that we are given opportunities in every struggle. I love that perspective.

As a country in recession, we have a real chance to take a long, deep look at ourselves and work towards a better tomorrow. Let's get lost in our reflection and figure out how we can make it more beautiful for those that will walk here after us.