And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell,
and I understood more than I saw; ~Black Elk, Black Elk Speaks
The view, driving north from Santa Fe, New Mexico towards Colorado, on Interstate 25 is one of the rolling prairie. This time of year the grass and flowers have not yet awakened from their winter slumber, so the prairie sports the many shades of gold, rust and brown.
As we drive along, we eagerly look for all signs of life through this stretch of road and generally anticipate seeing the bands of Pronghorn antelope that dot the open space. This day, however, the wind came at us from the west, whipping along at 30-40 mph, darkening the sky with dust, while even stronger gusts hurled sand and debris, along with flocks of tumbleweeds, across the highway.
Thinking it was miserable day to be outside, we decided the antelope would be hunkered down, seeking what little shelter they could find behind a hill somewhere....
But, instead, there they were, magnificent creatures that they are, calmly grazing, seemingly without a care in the world. They were not railing against the wind or, as far as I could tell, complaining in any way, that it was ruining their meal, much less their entire day....
Hmmmmm, does anyone else see an "aha moment" in there, somewhere....
The message I took away from that scene was that the chaos of the world outside of us (things we have no control over) need not disturb the peace inside of us.
We can't anticipate what any day will hold for us, we can only work on how we will respond to what occurs....
I am grateful to the antelope for sharing their message with me....I will draw peace from this image, always.
And....I'm making a conscious effort to follow their example so, I too, can make peace with the wind!
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