Rocks and Dead Presidents

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12:7-10

When our children were younger, we dragged them on camping trips to national parks, where they each earned dozens of Junior Ranger badges throughout the years. It was this educator’s way of hiding school within our summer vacations. I wanted to instill in my children (and now, my students) the joy and adventure of learning. My adult children still ask to complete the badge requirements when they visit national parks on their own, which makes me proud. We toured a lot of sites that taught us about American history, as well as sites that preserved the majesty of nature. After a particular family camping vacation to Mt. Rushmore, one of the boys asked if we would ever go on a real vacation that didn’t include rocks or dead presidents. A few years later, we went to Disney World. Ironically, all four of my kiddos have a devout interest in American history and not so much in Mickey.

Yesterday, I drove Highway 5 along Lake Erie as I made my way to Buffalo, New York, and then to Niagara Falls. I thought of home and how and why we all settle down and live where we do. I thought of our purpose on this earth and how it has less to do with our families and careers and more to do with glorifying God through our families and careers. While on this road trip, I am attempting to “pay it forward” or complete a random act of kindness every day. It’s easy to smile, hold a door, offer for someone to go in front of the line, pay for someone’s drink, etc. Larger acts take more planning, so I’ve tried not to put so much pressure on myself and simply do what I can. Yesterday, I served as the unofficial Niagara Falls family photographer.

Tourists joyfully handed me their cell phones to capture their moments in front of the great falls. While on the soaking Maid of the Mist boat tour, I struggled to hold on to the phone while wiping the lens enough to snap a quick shot of friends and family members huddled together in their bright blue plastic rain ponchos we were given as we boarded. As we made our way off of the boat and onto the viewing deck, another group asked me to take their picture. As they began posing, a man who was not in their party, just stood facing away from the falls, so I kindly asked him to step over while we took the photo. He looked at the foreigners standing beside him and said he wasn’t moving for them. I was shocked – saddened, actually. I took the photo and the family was genuinely grateful. A few moments later, that same gentleman was pushing folks out of his way so his group could take a photo. My competitive self wanted to nonchalantly walk into their photo and just stand, but I remembered my goal of paying it forward, so I walked away and prayed for his attitude, which proved to be the hardest act of kindness for me to perform yesterday.

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Our country is full of rich history and breathtaking nature. In other words, there are a lot of rocks and homes of dead presidents to visit. As I make my way further north and east – today through the Adirondack Mountains – I intend to continue finding ways to pay it forward and perform random acts of kindness while taking in what this great country has to offer. A solo road trip may appear large and overwhelming for those outside of it, but for me, it is about experiencing the simple pleasures of life that take little effort to recognize – and I get to learn a lot along the way.

In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.