The Blessing of Diversification

I’m currently in Yucca Valley, California. It's a desert.  I’m from Kailua, Hawaii, which is a tropical, lush, paradise.  To say Yucca Valley is a contrast from Kailua, is an understatement. 

I have lived in other places in the world, so I have learned to appreciate the diversification of the environment I find myself in. When I moved away from home for the first time to go to school in Utah, I was shocked at the brown mountains, the drab scenery and the dryness in the air. It was summer. It was hot. There were no trade winds blowing. I was in shock.

I am so happy to tell you that one year later, I had learned to love and appreciate the desert hues of gray, green, and soft pastels. I learned the meaning of cold, Spring Fever, and the  immense beauty of Fall colors. 

Diversification.  It is a blessing because you have the opportunity to widen your experience of what is beautiful.

It’s been a while since I lived or stayed in a desert.  It didn’t take me long to appreciate the differences and enjoy the contrasts.  The diversification I’ve experienced this last week will make me appreciate my home even more.

It’s the same with difficult challenges.  It’s never fun to go through them, but it helps you appreciate the good times, and that is a good thing.  It helps you count your blessings and appreciate what you have. So when you find yourself with some diversification, recognize it as an opportunity to see what is beautiful.  Sometimes you can’t see the beauty until a year, or two, or many years later.  When I look back on some challenges, like going through a wicked divorce, I choose to remember the beautiful moments that were mixed in with the pain.  Like one of my ex-husband’s friends going out of their way to say hello to me, the kindness of strangers, the shoulder’s I had to cry on. Remberming the depth of angst I felt, helps me to experience an equivalent depth of joy. Did I say that clearly? The depth of my current joy is equal to the converse depth of the pain I experienced.  I see that as a blessing.  I hope you do too.

May you appreciate the diversification that Life brings you.