Taking Melville's Advice

“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; … and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.” –Moby Dick by Herman Melville

I find myself stressed and strained, in need of quiet. Not the quiet of the quiet of the backyard or sitting in an empty house. These feel too familiar and I am easily distracted – weeds need pulling, what’s on the news, I need to check my email.

Unlike Melville, I head out to the desert. While the ocean is grand, I prefer the mountains and the deserts as there are less people. I particularly like the local of Joshua Tree. Once in the park, I set up camp and then head out on a hike. I follow a trail away from the road and then a wash that leads to several rock outcroppings. Joshua Tree, for those of you who have not been, has several piles of granite strewn across the desert landscape. The haphazard piles of granite look as though someone dropped them while creating the granite ranges of the Sierra’s further north.

At any rate, I come to my granite pile and quickly scramble up about 400 feet. That is what I love most about Joshua Tree. I spend so much time navigating the desert floor – avoiding cholla cactus, mesquite bushes that you can get lost in it. You can just as quickly though scramble up some rocks and have a completely different view, a new perspective. Things that were a great struggle or nuisance on the desert floor are now mere dots. You have a wider view of the desert and the horizon 400 feet up.

I find my perch where I can look out across the expanse. My mind wanders as I watch the birds fly and the lizards scamper around me. I am thinking about my worries – work troubles, things I need to write, how is my aunt doing, is now a good time to buy a house, and on and on. I watch a few dust devils form and dance across the desert floor. I am suddenly very aware of the wind blowing around my outcrop. My mind stops running. I get the very real sense that the wind is blowing away the dirt, the gunk, from inside me that is weighing me down. With my mind’s eye, I see myself becoming lighter as worries are blown away. The insight ends, but the feeling remains.

I am not sure how long I was on the rock, and I linger a little longer taking in the view. When I climb down the rocks, I feel lighter and unburdened by my previous worries. I head back to camp and enjoy the sunset, some food and wine with my friends.

It has been a worthwhile day.

#Solitude #Seeing #Paradigm