Christmas For The Eyes

 

There may be prettier sights in the world, but I haven’t seen them.

I’m not a world traveler, but I have seen some things in this country that I consider absolutely gorgeous. I stood in awe at the Grand Canyon. I was in disbelief the first time I saw the Big Sur along the California coast below Carmel. And I still count myself fortunate whenever I look out over a sunset at those perfect beaches in Gulf Shores.

But if I had to rank them for beauty, Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies would be at the top of my list. If there is something prettier than this, I can’t wait to see it. This was the final stop of our weeklong Canadian trip, and the tour guide obviously saved the best for last. And that is saying something. We have seen more beautiful things on this tour than I knew existed. Dozens of waterfalls. Snow capped mountains. We even walked on a glacier at 7,000 feet above sea level. I had my reservations about that. A bunch of people my age on a giant icy surface - gee, what could go wrong? I think the lodge had an onsite orthopedic clinic.  

Once we arrived at Lake Louise, I made a short walk through a thick stand of Canadian pine trees. The smell always takes me back to Christmas mornings when I was a kid.

And then, suddenly, there it was - Christmas morning for the eyes.

I was speechless. For anyone who knows me, that should tell you everything. I felt like I was in a Bob Ross painting. The water was a glimmering teal sheet that stretched out before you, cupped by a rocky mountain on the left and a mountain thick with pine trees on the right. Even higher in the distance, white glacier ice touched a robin-egg-blue sky.

This morning, the lake was placid and the mountains, glacier and sky were perfectly reflected in its waters, doubling the visual effect.

It reminded me of those photographs I used to see in the old drugstore calendars — the ones that looked so beautiful they couldn’t possibly be real. But this is.

For a fleeting moment, I became a tree hugger.

There was no need for AI to make any edits to the photographs I took, with the possible exception of removing some humanity. As you might expect, this place attracts bushels of humans. People from all over the world are drawn here like nails to a magnet, so at times, the foot traffic gets a bit heavy. Who can blame them? And despite the number of languages being spoken, everyone seems to communicate just fine. That’s because the universal language here is beauty and awe. 

When I first arrived, I was caught up in the mob mentality, trying to snap as many photographs as I could. Soon, I was making my way along the footpath that stretches beside the lake, taking more pictures than a Japanese tourist. My iPhone couldn’t work fast enough. It’s hard not to do, because you simply cannot take a bad photo here.

Fortunately, the voice in my head spoke to me.

“What are you doing? Stop with the photographs! You will only be here once in your life. Don’t miss out on experiencing the lake because you are so busy taking pictures. And besides, they can’t do justice to this place.”

For once, I listened. I found a bench, sat down, and put the phone away. No more photographs. For a while, I just sat there silently and thankfully, soaking in the magnificence of my surroundings.

I was also endlessly entertained by the number of people taking photographs, selfies and semi-selfies in poses that look like they belong more in a yoga class than in a place like this.

Suddenly, I was distracted by a nearly tame squirrel who jumped on the bench and ran across my lap. Real life intruded on my postcard. I didn’t even flinch because it seemed so appropriate.

There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

I don’t know that I have ever found a more appropriate place to do exactly that.

#lakelouise#canadabeauty#bestill



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