An Elemental Attraction

The mountains are my first love. My oldest, most vivid memories are from the Rockies of southwestern New Mexico - those rugged peaks that keep all their secrets in plain sight. My dad taught me to sit very, very still, so I could listen to the wild birds moving with the seasons. I remember the first time I escaped the punishing sun by jumping into a creek swollen with punishing snowmelt. And how could I ever forget the high desert winds? Blasting the whole world with grit today, but promising to wash it all clean with a storm tomorrow. The best time to be outside is during a monsoon. Arms open wide and face to the sky, getting high off the perfume of desert rain. I was seven; a scrap of girl who suddenly knew that to dive into the elements was to be alive, and to be free.

Over the years, I learned that change is one of the only constants in life. Our human experience is a series of inevitable endings. This is heavy for me, but I always find comfort in the reliability of the elements. The seasons prove, time and time again, that change can be beautiful. I’m still learning to ebb and flow, like the birds in the spring and the late autumn. Breathe in the seasons while they’re here, and be grateful for another moment to exist, witness, and participate in life on this unspeakably beautiful planet.