Beholding Beauty in a Season That Can Feel Hurried

December Journal — Behold Fine Art

This season has a way of picking up speed before we even realize it. The calendar fills, the days shorten, and there’s a certain bustle in the air that can make everything feel urgent. I’ve been reminding myself to slow the pace where I can. Small, intentional pauses help me return to center.

At the end of November, our family got away to the mountains near Boone. It’s a tradition we’ve grown into over the last few years for both the adventure and the reset it brings. There is something about preparing for a long hike, the crunch of trails underfoot, and the stretch of ridge lines that settles places in the heart nothing else can reach. (If you’re curious about the area, some of our favorite local trails can be found here: Hiking in Boone. This time we chose to hike to the 5,520-foot summit of Elk Knob, and we were not disappointed!)

This year we timed our trip to line up with our oldest's 12th birthday. Our need for a reset in nature was no different than on previous mountain adventures. Maybe it’s the ages my kids are. Maybe it’s the nature of this season in my life. Maybe it’s simply the way beauty arrives exactly when you need it.

As we neared the halfway point of one trail, we arrived at an overlook with a stunning view of the Appalachians. Merrick walked up beside me and, with reverent awe in his voice, said:

“Wow… that is beautiful. Mom, you should paint this.”

Children standing at the Elk Knob overlook facing the Appalachian Mountains on a clear winter day.
Elk Knob overlook and the moment Merrick shared, "Mom, you should paint this."

I tucked his words into my heart. They were a sweet reminder to pause, to behold, and to carry beauty back home with me.

That moment has stayed with me as December unfolds. Beauty doesn’t demand our attention. It simply waits for us to notice. And when we do, it stirs joy, gratitude, and inspiration in ways nothing else can. It reorients us. It restores us. It reawakens something hopeful within us.

As an artist, I’m learning to trust these nudges from nature, from my faith, from my children, and from the rhythms of the seasons. They remind me that inspiration isn’t something to chase. It is something to receive, quietly and attentively, with an open heart. More often it finds me on a trail, in the way sunlight transforms clouds at dawn or dusk, beside the ocean’s waves, or while watching my children discover something new. Sometimes it arrives in the way light falls across the mountains in a way that feels holy.

Sun beaming over the Appalachian ridge lines at the Elk Knob Summit overlook in Boone NC.
Child kneeling on a forest trail with sunlight streaming through the trees at Elk Knob State Park.
Hiking trail near the summit of Elk Knob in Boone NC with a sign pointing to the north and south views.

As this bright and full month continues, I hope you find ordinary moments and places to pause. Sit with a creative project. Read a book. Go on an adventure. Or simply linger with the people you love under the twinkling of lights. These little moments of joy and wonder have a way of grounding us in what matters most.

May this month bring you peace, gratitude, and light — the kind that lingers long after the season ends.

*For more creative thoughts, inspiration, and artwork, visit Behold Fine Art or return to the blog here.

Keywords: Boone NC hiking, Elk Knob Summit trail, Linville Gorge mountains, North Carolina mountain views, fall hikes with kids, artist inspiration from nature, creative pause, mindful living December, beauty in nature, Behold Fine Art blog, Wilmington NC artist, slowing down during the holidays, creativity and motherhood, faith and creativity, nature inspired art.

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