Desert Arroyo Park 1/21/18
Everyone ought to have a quiet place to walk.
Move your body and quiet your mind – this is the opposite of what most of us do most of the time.
Which is healthier? A busy mind and lethargic body or a quiet mind and a moving body? An overactive mind thinking negative thoughts is the root of our stress and addictions.
Spaciousness
In the desert, I
run into a spiderweb
bewitched by beauty
Went running through the desert
with William
tonight
I thought of the kangaroos I drew
with deep admiration of
their hefty legs
Our hearts beating
lungs exchanging energy
alive
Succulents and needles,
Sand and stone,
In this arid land
I’m not alone
Quail eggs, scorpion and snake on the floor
Wren, dove, and hummingbird above
All of us move unruffled and unrushed
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
*Part of my alphabiography series
Photo by Andres Sanz
I used to honor the fast and brash,
the notorious and well-heeled,
the industrious zealots
who marched on downtown pavement
But I’ve come to recognize true virtue
in the quail’s quivering plume –
in the solitary bay of the owl at dusk –
and in the jeweled skin of a rattlesnake
photo by Mia Mayweather
Desert in the summer
means walking the dog at sunrise
rabbits chew and quail run
We cast small shadows
the spaces between needles of the cactus
are the gaps between my thoughts
We’ve lived here for 11 years now.
We putter around together in our backyard. William builds patios and walkways while I assemble a desert garden (herbs, cacti). Pretty soon, we’ll be swimming.
I was driving home and stopped suddenly – a mother quail ran across the street, with her 7 babies running right behind her. A family of quail is usually bookended by parents. After my car passed them, the daddy quail quickly crossed the street and caught up with his family.
Unfortunately, baby quail have an 85% mortality rate. They can’t fly for about 11 days after birth and predators are all over the place. Be safe, little ones!
I walked.
I noticed a giant centipede, walking on the garage floor. I swept him away (their bite can hurt a lot).
I walked.
I noticed several rabbits. A groundsnake slithered in front of me. My dog had scared it.
I walked some more.
And the sun went down.
You don’t have to own anything material to feel life is abundant.
I walked my dog this afternoon. Cacti were blooming fire orange flowers. Wildflowers of purple and yellow were sprayed everywhere. Insects and birds were busy working.
If you can find joy in wildflowers and nature around you, then no one can take that feeling of abundance from you.
