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Reflections December 2015

Life Now

Today - A Memory

By Dusty Reed

It is difficult to find cornfields on the desert but I was grateful for good memories. They carried me through the discontent of other times in my life. I could go on with more important matters at hand.

Desert life can be boring. Or, it can be tolerable. Or, it might be stimulating. I discovered shortly after we moved to the Mojave Desert that I held the first-mentioned philosophy. After seven years, I stepped into the second category.

Several friends considered the desert as one of the finer things in life. They enjoyed the excitement of climbing over rocky hills to find an opal field. Or, they wanted to observe abandoned mine shafts. They especially appreciated becoming one with the expansive area of fresh air, peace and quiet. They are from the city.

Maybe being from the farmland of eastern Nebraska dissipated my appreciation for the arid land. Do you know what it is like to sit under the stars on a warm, July night and listen to the corn grow? Yes, you can hear it, if you know how to listen. The absolute quietness sets the table. The appetizer is the squeak of the corn leaves rubbing against each other. The main dish is the magnificence of it all. Dessert is total serenity.

It is difficult to find cornfields on the desert but I was grateful for good memories. They carried me through the discontent of other times in my life. I could go on with more important matters at hand.

Today we live back in the Midwest and I can sit by a serene lake, watch the glorious sunset, hear the frogs and crickets at night, feel the comfort from shade trees during the day and relax completely in mind, body and spirit.

I have some good memories of desert life. Friendships brought new awarenesses that became a part of my philosophy for living. I learned many new principles of life during that time that continue to give me a healthy path to follow.

Here, in the Midwest, when autumn is in the foreground, I have myriad occasions to capture healthy memories. The glories of creation with the vast array of colors as the flora settles down for its upcoming long nap.

It is the time for baking after gathering fresh fruit from the trees. There is nothing like a fresh fruit pie. Sharing it with family and friends will stay with me for years to come.

I remember walks through the timber, crunching leaves, watching squirrels gathering food for the cold days ahead. I can relive these memories by adding to them with current walks down the paths that reveal autumn's entrance.

I also remember autumn on the desert when the weather cooled to a comfort zone and long walks were available there, too. The desert was my spiritual haven and those walks brought quiet time for pondering.

Pleasure of Autumn

Pleasant is what the eye beholds

looking across a field of corn

already harvested;

Getting a glimpse of wildlife

making the stubble their home;

Seeing the painting

Mr. Frost has provided

with bright orange, red and yellow;

Bringing back the memories

of the pleasures of autumn.

I am grateful for my life experiences, from childhood through my more mature years, which have given wisdom for today. Tomorrow, today will be a memory. Will it be of something worthwhile? I will begin now to make it so.

 

Meet Dusty