lessons from the desert
the desert taught me to slow down...
The desert taught me to slow down. To look around at the landscape surrounding me. To ponder the spines on the cacti, the snakes and scorpions on the ground, the rocky trail ahead. To be quiet and listen to the wind rush through the canyon. To learn the plants around me and the roles they play in the ecosystem at large. To appreciate the legumes that sequester nitrogen into the soil that allows other plants to grow near them. To notice the direction a mountainside faces and what plants do or do not grow there. To understand why mesquites have roots reaching the water table below while saguaros have quite shallow roots to absorb rainwater. To listen to the birds sing atop the trees. To stop and watch the roadrunner run wherever they please. To always listen to the coyotes yipping and howling to the moon. To look up at that endless, deep blue sky and feel the warmth of the desert sun on my skin. To appreciate the countless colors and shades of the rocks. To memorize the silhouette of different mountain ranges. To watch the horizon for signs of rain, or smoke. To sit in a dry wash and imagine how flooded it gets during a summer monsoon. To appreciate, not dread, the rain. To worship water and the life it brings to the world around me.
The desert taught me to slow down within myself. To drink before I’m thirsty, to eat before I’m starving. To let myself feel the feelings and express the emotions my body is experiencing. To recognize my anxieties and to work through them. To realize my resilience, kindness, and problem-solving abilities. To keep the good ones close, and to not worry about the rest. It taught me that all living beings are my relatives and that this place we call Earth is our shared, beloved home. It taught me that to be is to love and to love is to be.
Drexel Heights, Tucson, Arizona
San Xavier del Bac Mission
Saguaro National Park East
Bisbee, Arizona
Tucson Mountain Park