Reflections in Dog Lake
By John P. DeGrazio

I was in my daughter’s classroom last night for an open house and observed a bulletin board full of paintings by the students for the first time. I was fascinated by all the wonderful drawings and asked the teacher how long they have been there. Since I volunteer in her class every Monday, I was a little embarrassed that I had never noticed this wall that displayed their artwork. I make sure to say hello to the children with every visit, but then I focus on the station where I am working and often forget about many other areas of the classroom. Then it had me thinking about how we approach our everyday lives and the tasks we set out to achieve. This is also true on long challenging hikes in Yosemite. We often are so focused on the goal, we can easily forget many of the things that attract us to these wonderful places. Sure, the waterfalls and majestic mountaintops are truly spectacular, but let’s not forget about the little things that make the trip so special. Maybe it’s a small flower, a pine cone on the trail, or a reflection in a lake. Sometimes we have to trip over them just to know they are there. Beauty is everywhere, and it’s up to us to take the time and find it.

f you are interested in reading other poems check out Tokoyee’s Regret or this one.