On one evening recently the sky was clear and it looked like a nice sunset was on the way.

I headed up Coxcomb Hill to the Astoria Column parking lot to do some picture-taking.

The expected happened. As the sun set in the ocean, beautiful shades of orange and red painted the sky. Behind the Column the almost-full moon was shining bright.

The unexpected happened at the Column that evening as well. A forked-horn deer emerged out of the brush. Apparently I was standing between him and the place on the lawn where he wanted to eat. He kept walking straight to his desired spot. He seemed to be expecting me to get out of his way. The lawn was big enough for me to move and still take pictures and him to have his favorite eating location.

A few other people were up at the Column that evening as well. It didn’t bother the deer that we were watching him eat. Even though it was hunting season he didn’t seem too scared. Maybe he knew he was in a safe place.

Some of the other people were going to participate in the run/walk across the bridge in a couple of days. They were looking out and pointing to what they were soon going to go across. They were from out of town and were admiring the beauty of the area.

I’m glad to live in a place people want to visit, even if at times it is a lot of people who want to visit here. Sometimes in the summer or on weekends when special events are going on, it seems like we live in a town with 10,000 people and 20,000 cars. That may be a bit extreme, but I have been delayed in getting somewhere because of traffic. I didn’t think that would ever happen here.

Some places in the world don’t ever have to worry about tourist traffic. There’s a reason for that. I’ll gladly put up with a little increased traffic once in a while in order to be able to live in a beautiful area.

The beauty of our area was evident that night as I watched the sunset from Coxcomb Hill. It would have been nice to catch the view from the top of the Column. Hopefully the funds will be raised and the interior stairway will soon be done so that it will be possible to once again climb to the top.

The changes that were made a few years ago to the area around the base of the Column, and especially the restoration of the Column’s artwork were a great improvement. I’m not so sure if other improvements, such as a building for a visitor center, are needed. It seems like a great area just as it is.

People have told me stories about being at the dedication of the Column in 1926. When I was a kid, I didn’t give much thought to people being around when the Column was built. I knew it wasn’t here when Lewis and Clark came, but I acted like it was. It’s important to remember it didn’t just fall from the sky and land on the hill. Somebody built it, and now somebody, namely our generation, needs to maintain it so that future generations can enjoy it.

I had some things to do that evening, but they could wait. I usually let my to-do list dictate my schedule, but that evening, I felt like I needed to take a break. In October you can’t be sure when the next time will be when the sky is clear. You need to catch a beautiful sunset when you can.

It is easy to fill up our lives with things to do. They seem important. We’re convinced they can’t wait. We end up not having time to appreciate a sunset, or watch a deer eat some grass. We rush along through life, but are we really living? Are we so busy trying to gain that we fail to appreciate what we have?

In the Bible it says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). It’s OK, and even necessary, to spend some time once in a while being still. We don’t always have to be accomplishing things. It’s good to stop and enjoy the beauty God paints across the sky. It’s important to pause and ponder what matters most.

Craig Johnson was born and raised in Astoria and graduated from Astoria High School. He returned to Astoria in 1999 and pastors Bethany Free Lutheran Church.