Perspective
On the highway between Johnson City and Dripping Springs lies the unincorporated area known as Henly. When we first moved to the area, it was simply a wide spot in the road. Now, it’s way more than that. As you drive through and look north you can see the valley and the hills beyond. We owe that nice view to a company that sells aggregate. In 2016 they started clearing away the vegetation before they began carting away the hills by the truck load. Strip mining old sea floors. There’s no telling how low the hills will go before they get done.
Of course, I’m not one to complain. My house is clad in limestone, and my driveway is decomposed granite. Someone had to dig them up and bring them to me. Lots of folks are moving into the area and there’s lots of development. There’s just a little twinge of sadness when I see the landscape change. It’s similar to the sadness I felt as watched the hills around Spicewood get covered in subdivisions a few years back. But that’s what cities and civilizations do, they grow.
Of course, the other thing they do is decline. So, there’s nothing really permanent about Austin and San Antonio or Houston. They’re just as likely as Troy and Nineveh to disappear and be covered by the sands of time. It’s just a matter of when. It might take three thousand years, but that is a slow blink of the earth’s eye. The other thing I realize is this. At some point, this will be a time that someone younger than me will look back to and fondly say, “I remember when.” In the end, it’s all about perspective.