humbly close to Earth, create with what is given, your home of the Wild
Whenever i have needed to re-enliven my bones, especially after long periods of grief, i wander the arroyo hondo. This sacred land of rolling hills, wise Piñons, dancing Junipers, dust, wind, and the flowing of wisdom and dreams from what was once a deep stream calls me and brings me home every time i return. The arroyo hondo made my journey home quite literal on my most recent wander. i came to listen, and She spoke. Oh, She spoke.
During my time of grief, i often wondered why i came to this desert. Having ended the position that brought me to this land, i wondered if i was truly meant to be here or if i had forced it as i often do when i set my mind to something. As i wandered the arroyo hondo, a place that has become so familiar to me with little to no surprises, i was surprised when all i saw were dwellings that i had never seen before. Wood piles of dried Piñon and Yucca bones with clear circular entrances. Shed Piñon needles just outside their cover of shade woven artfully into mounds…
Amazed, i knelt down and watched as Thatching Ants worked to create their little home in this desert land. Light and delicate, their little home was. So blended with the surrounding land, it may have gone unnoticed. Using only what was given by the loving Piñon nearby, these crafty Thatching Ants were not forcing their presence. They simply were. Desert dwellers.
Like the Thatching Ants, i have been gifted so much as i’ve tried to find home in the desert. It is here where my voice began to come through, lured out by the wild and wonder of the wilderness. It is here where my soles/soul have come alive and where i have heard my call to eco-ministry in the clearest way (perhaps because the desert will not cater to hiding habits as other lands do).
Learning from these humble Thatching Ants, i will continue to tread this land lightly, taking only what is given, and listening for Her voice on the desert winds. All the little dwellings i spotted as i wandered the arroyo hondo seemed to say, “You are here, you are home, so be, dwell.”
