On August 4th, after three days of driving, I crossed the border into New Mexico and into a landscape I have never experienced before. The bouldered mountains, the red earth contrasted by the green bushes everywhere, the expansive sky with a rain storm off to my right and the sun relentlessly shining on my left created such a visual feast. I was literally brought to tears, absolutely in love with suddenly being in a whole new world.
The next month was full of me marveling at creatures and plants and landscapes that I have never seen. Every morning I woke up and told the mountains how beautiful they are! (I have a hard time believing that one ever “gets used to” living by magnificent mountains...) I watched in horrific amazement as a Tarantula Hawk dragged a Tarantula across the sidewalk. I lived and worked within a community of creative, generous, expansive, inclusive people who were also down-to-earth, silly and confronting their own challenges. I easily fell into soulful friendships with people who came from all over the world, but somehow all loved to watch Friends which we did together on several occasions.
Every moment was precious and I arose every day with the intention of soaking it in. Nothing was taken for granted. Everything was appreciated. Everything felt meaningful in a playful, curious way. Joy was found in every task. Adventures were both planned and spontaneous. And somewhere in the midst of it, I felt my inner landscape change into a whole new world as well.
I felt healed in ways I didn’t know needed healing. I felt space and slowness. I felt a new kind of abundance and trust. I looked at my path differently. I looked at my art differently. I looked at my business differently. I looked at my relationships differently. Clarity became a constant friend - more of a flow than a momentary burst. I sunk into myself in a whole new way, feeling more grounded than ever despite not having a permanent home.
Before this, I have mostly relied on changing my inner landscape in order to see my outer world differently. What a gift to experience on such a profound level that it also works the other way around. And what magic it is that we can choose to change either our inner or outer landscape at any point in order to create our lives into the masterpiece we envision.