Joshua Tree National Park and the surrounding area are breathtaking. If one has not visited, they ought to highly consider it, because the serenity of the flat & rocky desert is something to behold. That morning, we were all helping ourselves to breakfast, some of us cradling the fire. Some of us, myself included, had ascended the nearby small mountain of rocks to enjoy food & coffee. I must have thought that this higher vantage point would elevate me above the hangover I was so desperately trying to outrun. There I sat with Ruby catching up on life in a way we hadn't yet that weekend, and I took in the beautiful land below and in front of us. We (I, more slowly than others) packed camp, cleaned up, and loaded the cars to reenter the default world.
I stand there, offering one my smokes to him and exchanging light conversation, trying to understand where he had come from and what brought him to be a seemingly hippie crafts creator in the high desert of Southern California. He replied, but never deeply as to fully answer my question. As cynical as I am, I enjoyed his presence, and he seemed to reciprocate. And my friends exited the restaurant to join me. Something in their interaction with this new friend sparked a haste in him that led him quickly to tie off my new gift and move on to the next suspecting "customer."
I wished him luck. On the car ride home, post-smoothie, we listened to a podcast and discussed the truly wonderful prior day and evening. It was a beautiful day, blue skies devoid of clouds, almost identical to the one before it. And the one or two weeks following. We drove for another 150 miles. We arrived in the San Fernando Valley, ready for shower and clean clothes. Myself, a night without alcohol and with a cuddle from someone special. I hope I'd never lose this feeling. Because no matter how difficult, this feeling of raw life experience is the best proof of being alive.
Oct 2019
- 7Ply Epic