A friend and I had a little argument last week. It wasn’t a serious fight, but it did get pretty heated. The topic? Beaches vs. Mountains. Growing up on the coast, he argued that beaches are warm and beautiful and the perfect place to watch a storm roll in. While those things sound great, they can never compare to the beauty and awe-inspiring grandeur of living in the mountains.
I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, right in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. We have a saying in East Tennessee that you’re either on a mountain lookin’ down or in a valley lookin’ up. Life in that area is based around the mountains. We have buses full of tourists every year to see the leaves. We take the long way home sometimes just to ride the twisting back roads through the foothills and trees. Most of all, there’s just something about the mountains’ echo that makes “Rocky Top” sound so much sweeter on a Saturday afternoon. There wouldn’t even be a Rock Top with the mountains. There’s a certain understanding where I’m from that we can never change the mountains, but the mountains change us.
When it came time for me to go to college, I immediately fell in love with Southwest Virginia. It reminded me of home. The blue ridges forming the horizon gave me comfort. I fell even more in love with being surrounded by the majesty of mountains. Their enormity puts in perspective just how small and trivial life’s worries can be. They are a constant reminder of how brief and fragile life is. The mountains have stood longer than I can fathom, and they will continue to stand strong long after I am gone.
While this may seem intimidating, I feel such a comfort when I drive those winding roads or see the sunrise peak over the snow-capped ridges. The mountains almost seem like a living part of the world. They are here to protect us from harm. They provide peace and safety. We may be small in comparison, but the mountains are bigger than anything coming our way.
Most of all, I have never seen a sight more breathtaking than the mountains as they change with the seasons. From vibrant red and gold leaves in fall to snowy white caps in the winter, the mountains become more and more beautiful with time. One of my favorite hobbies is watching a sunset creep down into the valley behind a peak and light up the entire ridgeline with a pastel glow that slowly fades into stars. The beauty of the mountains is unmatched by anything else in nature.
I guess my point is this: I appreciate beaches and cities, but I will always come home to the mountains. Their enormity brings me such comfort in the face of my miniscule stresses. They bring me peace of mind when a big storm tries to roll in. The breathtaking beauty of the mountains inspires a deeper appreciation for the wonders of nature. Overall, I may spend a week or two on a sandy beach but never a lifetime. The mountains always call me back home.
