I read somewhere, “the desert is a place without expectation.” It’s amazing how true that is. No expectation for rain, for growth, for change, for life… That might sound sad, but I think it’s beautiful. Because you realize in the absence of expectation there is so much freedom. In the absence of expectation there is an insane amount of gratitude. There is a simplicity and purity for whatever life that grows here. There is a STILLNESS in the desert that is almost impossible to find somewhere else. When all the noise inside and outside of you is threatening to overwhelm you – when all you want is to be still, this is the desert.
It’s not the cool and refreshing feeling that comes from the ocean. It’s dry and it’s fiery. It calls for reflection and quiet and self-discipline. And yet, like the river (that runs through it) it cleanses and it purifies.
Life doesn’t pretend to be easy here. It looks hard. And yet this is probably why more than anywhere else, when you see life thrive here, you know you’re seeing nothing short of a miracle.
