Three Things I’m Thankful for in the Desert
Spring runoff brings the creeks and rivers to life in the Arizona desert.
In the desert, there are many things that I am thankful for and personally bring me immense joy. I want to visually introduce you to my favorites.
The desert can be a ferocious, unforgiving place. I think folks see the harsh, dry nature of the desert and write it off as something to be overcome, conquer, subdue. While frequently cast as something villainous, the desert is remarkably tender.
The desert is fragile.
Water
Water in the desert is one of the most special things in all existence. Water is the beating heart of the desert. The balance of life and death always comes down to water. Is there enough to blanket the mountains, feed the creeks and give life to all creatures downstream?
And in times of drought or when water tables are drained beyond recognition, water becomes even more vital. The desert knows the boom and bust cycle all too well. Will the spring snow arrive? Or the mid-season monsoons?
Water is stored in the high country like a piggy bank, tucked away and utilized in times of need. If we don’t receive enough moisture throughout the year, we’ll be left holding the hammer, hovering over the broken ceramic, wondering where it all went. Most years, mankind is pulling it out faster than it’s deposited.
So when I’m able to splash around in cool water on a hot March day, it’s special to me. I savor every minute I get to hear the babble of the brook and the calls of birds drawn to its lifeblood. Water is sacred. Water is life. I’ll bet you’ve seen that in the past few years.
Cactus
No better image has come to symbolize the desert like a Saguaro cactus. From a distance, it looks like a friendly fellow waving to say hello. Come a little closer and many become uncomfortable with its spiky exterior. All cactus are little cuties, but boy are they well equipped with sharpened blades for armor.
Once you’ve spent quality time around them however, you begin to learn to navigate them with ease. The run-ins with its pointy members become fewer, and the admiration for them grows. Catch a Teddy Bear Cholla cactus at sunset and it is magnificently backlit. Like a perfect halo around a celestial being.
I walk through forests of Saguaros and think of them like my protectors. I talk to them on a near constant basis. It feels like reconnecting with old friends. I see the wildlife flit about, using those spiky barbs for protection from predators. Owls love to nest in the friendly Saguaro.
I think that’s another great metaphor for the desert. Hard exterior, much softer when you get up close.
Flowers
A few times a year, the desert literally EXPLODES with flowers. Anyone who’s journeyed into the wild after spring or the summer monsoons can attest to this fact.
With the right amount of rain, the desert floor becomes covered in vibrant colors. The bees flit from flower to flower making that delicious Sonoran honey I love.
For me, this favorite thing feels the most selfish in the sense that I don’t know enough about their ecological importance to substantiate their “validity.” I know plenty of animals rely on these flowers, but I haven’t learned enough about them yet. What I do know is that the flowers make me happy, and I’m happy with that.
The flowers give the desert another of its contradictions: beauty in tough places. The desert is rugged, creatures have to be hearty to survive here. And the flowers are a way of softening those sharp edges.
Where I’m from in the Midwest, I took flowers for granted. But in the Southwest, I cannot. The flowers have their own way of requesting your attention as they proudly grow from prickly pear and barrel cacti. They’re too breathtaking to overlook, and so I lean in and admire.
Conclusion
Negative words have often been used to describe my precious desert: barren, arid, uninhabited, lonely, desolate. And I don’t agree with a single one. And neither would all the wondrous plants and animals, you know the rest of the living creature column besides mankind.
I would challenge that the desert is a wondrous, special, tender place, teeming with life and constantly changing as time passes.
The desert is magic. Those that have called it such ugly names are simply not listening.
What will you hear next time you visit?
Browse below for more water, cactus and flower images
So you want more Desert blogs, eh?
The desert can be a ferocious, unforgiving place. I think folks see the harsh, dry nature of the desert and write it off as something to be overcome, conquer, subdue. While frequently cast as something villainous, the desert is remarkably tender.