Letting My Alter Ego Out

Do you have an alter ego?  Sometimes ya just gotta let it out and, well, Halloween is as good a time as any for such an endeavor.



Me in my element, sharing a light moment on Lake Awassa in Ethiopia in early 2011.  The real me?



Or...sharing the inner me.  I'm the one in front.  What do you think?



 

Hidden Beauty

I did something this past Saturday that I hadn't done in 44 years.  (Imagine that...a woman giving indication of her age!).  I visited Luray Caverns in western Virginia with a good friend.  While I remembered being intrigued by the caverns even as a young child all those years ago, I decided that perhaps I couldn't quite understand the true beauty of this natural setting at that young age.  In fact, what I saw was quite spectacular.



That's some great looking limestone behind me.


When I visit my favorite exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's Natural History Museum, I am always awed by the fact that so many rocks look like roundish, gray, uninteresting...well...rocks.  That is, until they are cut open to reveal the wonders of beautiful agates, quartz and many more varieties.

That is the same feeling I had when I visited Luray's caverns.  To think, just a few dozen feet above, the countryside looks like anyplace else where there are rolling hills covered by trees and perhaps some farmland.  Maybe even a few homes dot the covering scenery.  But just under the surface, the limestone filling the earth has opened chambers and passageways and with the help of rainwater seeping through, formed stalactites draping themselves down from above.  In fact, in some areas, these stalactites are even referred to as drapes.



Notice the texture in these drapes.  They look, even on close view, almost like hardened fabric.  Yet they are rock formations in all different shades due to varying degrees of calcium and other mineral elements that make them up. 



The stalactites, over thousands, even millions, of years drop moisture onto the ground, just as a melting icicle does on the side of a building, and stalagmites grow from the sediment that forms.  In the end, what is created is a glorious, natural wonder where even the small lake is so clear that it mirrors the beauty above it so much that it's difficult to know that there is water there at all.

This is an accurate depiction of Dream Lake, the largest body of water in Luray Caverns.  At its deepest, it is only about 20 inches. 

Andrew Campbell, William Campbell, and Benton Stebbins discovered this natural wonder because cold air came blowing out of a sinkhole in 1878.  They quickly began digging and, within four hours, found more than their imagination could have conjured up.  Within only a few months time, they began offering the first tours of the location, which is still the largest series of discovered caverns in the eastern part of the United States.  Today, the walk through these caverns, about 75% of which is now open to the public, covers about a mile and a quarter.

Just imagine how many more things are yet to be discovered in this beautiful world God created.  The possibilities are truly limitless.


Enjoy one more view of this amazing wonder of nature.  Put this on your tour list.  It's worth it!

Doing What I Hate

Romans 7:14-16
Good News Translation (GNT)

The Conflict in Us

 ¹⁴ We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a mortal, sold as a slave to sin.^{15 (A)}I do not understand what I do; for I don't do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate.¹⁶ Since what I do is what I don't want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right.

This brief post is not all about spiritual laws and my inability to live up to them because I am a mere human, although the title of this piece brought that reference to mind.

You see, about a month ago, I signed up to take advantage of my company's gym.  To most people, I don't look terribly unfit, but I know that my body can definitely use some toning and shaping.  That, of course, means that I need to undertake some efforts that I haven't been making for far too long.  I need to exercise more, eat smaller portions and motivate myself to change the habits I've developed over time.  You know, those habits that allow me to happily vegitate in front of the TV in the evenings or websurf for far too long when the TV lineup is boring.

Anyway, the first week, I visited the gym every other evening and worked out hard for one hour and 15 minutes each time I went.  The 2nd week, I nearly kept pace with the first.  The third week, I dropped to a couple of visits, and by the fourth week, I'd sunk to one workout in the middle of the week.  Mind you, every time, I still hit it hard for an hour and 15 minutes.  Still, motivating myself to get into workout attire, go back to the company gym (which is very close to my home), work out when my energy is ebbing, well...I've simply let the little guy with the pitchfork and pointy tail standing on my left shoulder convince me that I don't need to go when I'm tired or not feelin' it.

Thus, the Bible verse above smacks me right between the eyeballs. "I do not understand what I do; for I don't do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate."  That about sums it up.  I hate that too often I sit around being lazy when I know I want to get into better shape.  Considering Paul's words in Romans 7, I guess I fall into good company.  On the other hand, I have to agree with him.  I know what is right, even while I do just the opposite.

Fortunately, the old cliche, "knowing and doing are two different things," can be the start of changing my tune.  Why not rewrite that to "knowing leads to doing that which is right?"  Hey, I think I've created a new mantra.  Ask me in a month how I'm "doing".