A Positive End To The Week...

I feel that I've been complaining about things too much lately. If I begin to complain too much, I don't like the way it makes me feel. Somehow the complaining begins to change my whole outlook as well as my attitude and mood. And I don't like to feel negatively for very long if I can help it. So I think an attitude adjustment is in order for me, and a step in the right direction will be to end the week on a positive note.

I did some complaining earlier this week about some negative changes on the horizon regarding my favorite park. Yesterday afternoon while hiking, I decided that I should think about the many positive things regarding the park and the positive attributes that will remain even after the neighboring and abutting properties are developed. The first thing that popped into my head was that the Friedrich Foundation was successful last year in preventing one of the abutting properties into being developed into a huge hotel and golf resort. That was a victory. Last year San Antonians voted for a parks initiative and referendum in which the city and county will begin making a concerted effort to increase the number of parks and nature trails available to citizens. Citizens in general have become more vocal in favor of maintaining and/or increasing our tree canopy and increasing the available natural areas for public enjoyment over the last few years. And the State is getting ready to open up the new Government Canyon Park which is almost 9,000 acres in size and is also located along the edge of the Hill Country. Plus Government Canyon Park is closer to my house, and is located only 10 minutes from me. I should be able to find some solitude in 9,000 acres! And in Friedrich Park there are really only three open scenic views, and with the new tougher tree ordinance in place hopefully the property being developed to the south won't appear to be a sea of houses from one of the park views. People who build and move into this part of town do so because they love the hills and trees, so hopefully the developers keep this in mind when building those houses. And there is no view of the soon to be developed property to the northeast. Lastly the interior views and beauty of the park should remain, and there may even be more wildlife to see in the park as the abutting properties are developed. The park may become a refuge for the displaced wildlife. I don't like to see wildlife displaced like this, but having somewhere to go like Friedrich is an acceptable compromise. But I fear for the wildlife nonetheless.

So while the rural nature surrounding the park may be no more and the winding country road that I drive will be changed into a busy four-lane road, hopefully the charm and character inside the park will remain the same. So instead of seeing the park being swallowed up by destructive development, maybe I should view it as a natural oasis in the desert of commercial development. Hmm, that may be a bit over the top, but somehow this makes me feel a bit better anyway!

I let myself get a bit out of balance this and last week, and I can feel it. Too much complaining, and complaining in and of itself at some point doesn't really serve a useful purpose. And I think I got to that point. I don't advocate putting your head in the sand to avoid serious issues, but if you get caught up in the negativity after awhile that's all you see...and eventually feel. Balance is the key. So on that note...I'm looking forward to a nice weekend and a good week next week.