Canyon Tour

The first picture of the Grand Canyon I saw, was in my Class 5 social studies text book. I was taught what a Canyon is, long long ago! While mugging up answers for the exams, never even I dreamt that one day in my life, I will really visit this wonder of the world!

“Ganga Miss”, my teacher, defined the canyon as a gorge, which is a deep valley between cliffs, often carved from the landscape by a river. It was so hard for me even to imagine a huge land mass being separated into two by a river. I used to visualize the river flowing near our house doing the same mischief to the adjacent land. ;-)

My first look out over the Grand Canyon is a sight which I will never forget in life! The first thing that gets you is, its big - really really big - as in huge, enormous and massive! It is also beautiful and gorgeous! Words can’t describe the colors, the shapes, the vastness. I stood and observed for hours, surprised… just staring! The sight of the canyon is never the same - even from day to day or hour to hour! Every passing cloud and every change in the position of the sun recasts the whole!
The Grand canyon sits on 1.2 million acres of land - a showcase of geological wealth. It was created by the Colorado river over a period of 17 million years! Nearly two billion years of the earth’s history have been exposed as the river and its tributaries cut their trenches through the layers of the rocks. It may not be the longest or deepest canyon in the world; but definitely, it is the grandest - truly a timeless treasure!!! To go down into the canyon is to go back in time, layer by layer. You, by contrast, are forever young!

But, what I do not understand is how water can have such an acute impact, considering that the Canyon is basically located in a desert. May be, the soil here is scorched by the sun and cannot absorb water. Any ways, let me not dig too deep to grab the roots of the Canyon cos I realize nothing is insignificant in nature - above all - nothing seems impossible.

Beyond Sadness..

I am angry at the whole world because death isn’t a fair thing in life. It disrupts the flow of happiness and comfort! The worst I believe, is when one realizes that he is sinking. The feeling can range from denial, to fear, to guilt, to anger, to sadness and to acceptance. May be that is when he tries to go back to the pages of yesterday and recollect all what he has gone through in life.

He would have been confused about the next world where he will be taken from here. He would have wondered if he will be able to watch his son grow up from far away! He would have prayed and begged before the Lord to protect his family. He would have remembered the days shared with his wife, son, mother, father, brothers, sister, nephews, nieces, friends, neighbors and relatives, ...and would have wished if it repeats all over again!! He would have thanked his near and dear ones with all his heart for the love, support and care. He would also have thought and felt sorry for the mistakes done in the past.


I remember reading this somewhere - That loosing life is almost like being at the beach, standing in the water on a windy day. A wave comes at you and almost knocks you off your feet. You struggle and regain your balance, just in time for the next wave to hit. Over time, the strength of the waves subside and you think your footing is little more secure. Suddenly, out of seemingly no where another large wave hits and you almost loose your balance again.

Almost everyone goes through periods of anger, disapproval and grief after someone they love passes away. We become painfully aware of how fragile life can be, and the reality of death is clearer than ever. We will be worried about the void created in the family with his loss and the unexpected changes that it would bring in. But you should accept that the world isn’t out to get you, and that death did not happen to make you miserable… it just happened, obeying the law of nature or time.

Life is pleasant; death is peaceful and it's the transition that's troublesome. Although death is natural and will happen to all of us someday, being obsessed with and worrying about it can keep us away from the thing we are trying to hold on to - LIFE.

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold, well.