This Makes Me Sad...And Not For The Reason You're Thinking

Yesterday I took a short walk on the mountain.

And I saw this sign.

And it made me sad.

But not for the reason you're thinking.

If you live in my neighborhood you've heard of an issue that's facing the citizens. I'm not going to get into the details, but it centers around a proposed land development project--a classic "have" and "have not" argument. The sign notifying everyone that the trail was closed and the land was private property was just the latest in a back-and-forth between the two sides.

The reason I was sad was not because of the new sign, the closed trail or even the planned development. I was sad because this whole land war reminded me that the life I once knew is disappearing, and it's not the fault of the land developer. It's just the way it is.

When I was a kid, I basically lived on that mountain. My friends and I knew all the trails and even built a fort or two. We'd hike to Patsey's Mine and Flag Rock when there were nothing but deer trails and no trails to get us there. One of the reasons I wanted to raise my family where I grew up is so my kids could experience the same things I did. Little did I know Steve Jobs and Bill Gates would forever change life as we know it. My kids don't really care about the mountain that's literally in their backyard.

No, the trail closed sign means that things change. The mountain was never really mine back then, just as it's not really mine now, nor is it anyone who is complaining about the actions of the land owners. The trail closed sign means another piece of what life used to be like is over and it's not coming back. Buildings I loved as a kid have been demolished and replaced. Homes and stores exist now where there was once open fields. But more importantly, people I loved have moved away or died making the experience of living here so much different than it used to be.

So, life is full of closed trails, which is just another way of saying, things change and they're never going back to the way they once were. And the fact that these changes make me a little sad just shows just how blessed my life has been.