Phoenix Botanical Gardens with a Dale Chihuly installation.
Some people think that the desert is brown, ugly and lifeless. I was one of those people when I lived in Seattle. Coming from a place where green is everywhere and water is relatively abundant, the desert did seem boring and lacking in color. The journey of appreciation has taken me a couple of years but I think I'm getting to a place where I truly can see the beauty in the desert. Part of the journey was reading mulitple spiritual books about the desert and how people often retreated to the desert to find quiet, peace, open space and solitude. I discovered through some of these readings that when I remove myself from relative abundance to relative simplicity you begin to notice the intricacies and subtle beauty of your surroundings. I think that is true not only in physical environments, but also in spiritual and mental environments.
I remember one time I was driving with my mom through the Sonoran desert and she was "wowing" about the beauty of the saguaros, chollas and all the other seemingly boring plants. I had no patience for this kind of beauty - and it wasn't until we took a jeep trip through the desert one March when all the lupines and poppies were blooming that I was blown away at the beauty of the desert. Now, I too marvel the green lushness of the Sonoran desert as I drive down to Phoenix - it's really green in March and then again in August when we get all the monsoon rains.
So as I walked through the Phoenix Botanical Gardens I was in awe of the breathtaking beauty of all the wildflowers, the architecture of the agaves and yuccas and the stunning contrast of the rocks against the blue, cloudless sky. I could feel my soul fill up and truly my bucket was full that day in the desert.
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