Hi again friends! I’ve returned with Pt. 2 of the Mojave Desert series. I am so grateful so many of you enjoyed Pt. 1’s photos and content. It truly is an honor to be able to share with you the magic of many places and the adventures in between. So let’s get to it shall we? The desert has a way with re-centering my perspective and altering how I view my priorities. Nature itself always draws me deep into introspection, giving the space which encourages a clear mind and a less anxious nervous system. Which is largely why I live in a remote town consisting of 9 blocks, no street lights, and way more land than buildings or people. Less distraction encourages more presence at least for me anyhow.

The desert with its often harsh heat and dry environment sometimes forces one to be still as to not overexert energy. Hiking and movement can best be enjoyed at certain times during morning and evening, sometimes not at all and never when ill prepared. This leaves a lot of time for quiet nothingness if you will. Time to quietly catch up with oneself, time to meditate, time to get lost in the moment.

In this busy, consumer style society we live in it’s sometimes always necessary to take ourselves places where we cut the umbilical cord to all the artificial things we fill our (day-to-day) lives, bodies, and minds with. Just think about the artificial lights and air in office buildings, the artificial and processed foods eaten in mass quantity, the news channels, media networks, and propaganda we fill our minds with. We limit the space for our own thoughts to generate, we give away our ability to think and make decisions for ourselves through this artificial dependency. Most of us know the importance of nourishing and detoxing our bodies but what about our minds?

That’s where nature and in this case, the Mojave desert come in for me. Removing myself from excess convenience, wi-fi, and cell service is completely medicinal and allows me to see how deeply I’m relying on these things. Don’t get me wrong I believe many of these things to be useful when used productively but not overused and abused. As I would wander off into a landscape that looked otherworldly my mind would start to wonder too.

I thought about the first people to occupy this land, the Anasazi’s, the messages they left on the sandstone formations and the stories they tell. I pondered how the wind, sun, heat, and precipitation had sculpted the sandstone throughout time. Just as many of life’s challenges and triumphs will go on to shape us. The desert is a harsh environment but life still grows there. Plant life is hearty and adapted to the lack of water.

Many plants, because of the difficulty to thrive in that environment, have needles (like cacti) to protect themselves from additional threats to their livelihood.  Like us humans, we find ways to thrive in harsh environments or through adversities and naturally we find ways to protect ourselves when threatened even if that means growing cacti needles sometimes hardening ourselves to endure the tribulations of our existence. Overcoming the hardships though gives a certain shine, a luminance, a captivating allure to a place or person and makes both more relatable.

Something I’ve always admired about nature is its exposure. We have adopted this idea of (artificial) protection through shielding ourselves from feeling not only our joys but our pains while also hiding our true realities from our fellow humans. Nature though is naked, protected only through its natural instincts and evolution. Natures decay and rebirth is exposed, visible. We can see where nature lacks vitality or has been polluted. So while I sat in the grand nothingness of the Great Mystery, surrounded by the contrast of red sandstone and blue sky and late November blooms I was reminded of what its like to be alive, to be present, to be connected. Unburdened by the unimportant. Unhassled and uninhibited.

How do you reconnect to whats true and important? What helps you live in the moment?   Please share with me below! I value our exchanges so much!

Thank you for joining me here♥

Did you miss The Mojave Desert Pt. 1 ?

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