Just Look Up

Some of life's greatest gifts are right in front of us. We just have to look up.

I was fortunate to be able to make a trip to the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia a couple of years ago. The experience was a once in a lifetime sort of deal.

I was able to not only go on the day that I was supposed to go (Thursday); but through some research and through going out on a limb, I was able to work my way onto the course on Wednesday, too. Wednesday is the day the Par 3 Tournament is played. On this tiny little course, you can stand in one spot, look in all directions, and see amazing things.

Such was the case with the picture above. I looked to my right and saw Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus walking up one hole. Amazing.

Like most people on the course that day, I was busy snapping up photos because Wednesday is one of the few days that you are able to bring a camera on course. But fortunately, I put the camera down every now and then and looked around to soak it all in. Good thing I did, as I came across these three legends.

But, of course, I had to take a picture of it.

Rushing the Field

I have never really understood the concept of rushing the field or the court after a big win. Fortunately, this phenomenon seems to be contained to college sports. But, on the other hand, college kids seem to do some of the dumbest things . . . so that might not be all that fortunate after all.

This seems to particularly happen after an upset. Such was the case for a Georgia Tech football game we attended a few years ago, while living in Georgia. If memory serves me correct, Tech was probably ranked, though not all that high, perhaps somewhere between 15 - 25. Their opponent that night, Virginia Tech, was ranked fifth in the nation.

There was a pretty packed house. So, after Georgia Tech won, there was quite a feeling of excitement in the air. And many of those in attendance felt the need to run onto the field

And sort of stand there and look at each other.

Again, I do not understand this phenomenon. But then again, there is much I do not understand.

Roads II

Similar to Route 66, I have always been fascinated by Highway 80. You don't see too much about it these days, as we refer to it today mostly as Interstate 20. But if you travel on I-20 for a while, you'll see a fair number of signs of Highway 80. That is because I-20 parallels Highway 80 for much of its path.

Years ago, when interstate highways were built, many of them took the same path as some of the major highway systems of the day, eventually bypassing many of those highway systems. Some of those systems cease to exist anymore. Some of them are still around, though . . . as can be seen here:

All roads have a beginning and ending. Most of the time, the road just simply begins and ends with little to no fanfare. Fortunately, there are places, such as Chicago & L.A. with Route 66, that commemorate where a road starts and where it terminates.

One end of Highway 80 is in Tybee Island, Georgia, as we found a few years ago. I had seen pictures of this sign before a trip to that area and wanted to be sure to see it. Not sure why but I find things like this interesting and fascinating. Highway 80 was and is a big piece of Americana and what keeps our country going. I think it's a good thing to celebrate it.

Borders

I have always been fascinated by borders between countries, states, etc. It may be due to spending my childhood in the center of a state that is large enough to be considered a country in most areas of the world. Because of this, I rarely crossed into another state. So when I did, it was pretty remarkable.

While living in Georgia, we crossed state lines many times. In fact, we lived so close to the Alabama border that our cell phones were often confused which time zone it was in. On one day trip, I came across a restaurant that actually has a state line running right through the middle of it:

I remember the food being not all that tasty. But I also remember being able to almost straddle the state line while using the restroom.

State lines are interesting.

Places We Never Forget

In the midst of all of the traveling we do, so many places and faces, sights and food, really everything that we do can get sort of lost in the midst. We can journal and take pictures as we go. But there is no way to remember all that we do in our travels.

But, there are some places that stand out, that sort of stand above others. These are often places that we cannot help but remember because of some type of powerful experience we had there.

This was such a place for me:

This is the 18th teebox at Augusta National. Words cannot describe the experience I had attending the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia a couple of years ago. So I will not even try to put to words what the experience meant to me.

The above picture was taken on Wednesday of tournament week, one of the days that cameras are allowed onto the course. I also attended the Thursday round, the first round of tournament play, when cameras are not allowed.

I remember being at this exact same place on Thursday, taking it all in. Something about the place, its magic, its charm caused me to slow down. If you know me, you know that I am notorious for being in a hurry, whether working, traveling, or whatever it may be that I am doing. I had been taking that same approach to my time in Augusta. I was scurrying around, trying to pack as many things into the time I had, trying get to every nook and cranny of the course during my time there.

But for some reason, on that Thursday morning, looking down the fairway on hole number eighteen, I realized that I needed to stop, to smell the roses, if you will, and enjoy the moment. I truly look to that experience, to that particular moment, as a turning point. I think back about that moment and that day and my being forced to slow down and enjoy each moment for what it had to offer as I go about life now.

To truly enjoy the Masters, one must take it all in and be open to what each new moment and each new experience has to offer. Augusta National demands that you calm yourself while on its hallowed grounds. It's the same with life. When we travel, if we listen . . . if we listen to the places we go, if we listen to the people we encounter, if we listen to ourselves, we can learn all sorts of life-changing lessons.

Mountaintops

There is something about being up high, on top of a mountain that really makes me feel good. Being up, high above it all, gives you a different view, a different perspective.

Cloudland Canyon State Park is a little gem, in northwest Georgia. Not particularly close to any cities of size, you have to know where you are going to get there. But once you do, you are rewarded with views like this:

There are parallels with views like this and life. When my wife and I visited the park, our trip took us a few hours. I can remember nearing the park but still being quite a distance from it, wondering if the trip would be worth it. As you can see, it was most definitely worth it.

Getting up high gives you a different perspective. We need to view life through different lenses, through different perspectives, at times. Not that we always want or need to stay in that perspective. But looking at things differently keeps us from getting stuck in a rut, from thinking there is only one way to tackle an issue or a particular challenge.

That helps us to live our lives differently, better. We are able to see things differently when we travel, to be transformed, if you will. That's what travel can do . . . it can transform us.

Right Under Your Nose

Wonders are truly all around us . . .

This is Callaway Gardens, an absolutely beautiful oasis in west Georgia. For four years, we lived about an hour away from it and, regrettably, only visited it once. But I am glad that we went, when we did.

The Gardens has lots of different things that one might expect from a protected natural area: lodging, golf course, trails and trails and trails, and, well, gardens. We went during the summer, if I remember correctly. I remember it being hot (okay, that's pretty much year-round); and I remember beautiful flowers. But I also remember having just recently missed the breathtaking flowers that bloom in springtime in Georgia.

Beauty really is all around us, sometimes right under our nose. It's a matter of taking the time to get out, looking for it, and doing a little exploring.