I spend one week on myself each month. I invite in who I want and do what I want with my time. Sometimes I spend a day working, sometimes I spend it reading and sometimes I spend it rejuvenating my health. Yesterday was a combination of all three. I slept in late, worked, read and decided to take a hike. I decided to hit “The Museum Trail” for those who live in or visit the Coachella Valley, because it starts at the Palm Springs Art Museum. It has a very quick 850’ elevation gain which will really kick your butt when it’s sunny and warm out. Yesterday was rather cloudy, so I thought I’d spend my “lunch hour” on a hike. Now I know you’re not supposed to hike by yourself but this trail has become a pretty common fitness trail for runners and hikers, so there are plenty of other people on the trail with you. I’ve done this hike about 10 times but this was my first time alone.
As I was climbing, I was admiring the rocky, cacti and brush-filled landscape. I also noticed how much greener everything appeared as a result of the recent rains. There were grasses sprouting from rocks and cracks that were never there any other time I’ve hiked through the area. It got me to thinking about when I lived in the Northeast and how much rain we would receive to maintain green landscapes and how we would water them to maintain that lush look. I also thought about how unnatural that is.
The more I compared living here to there, I realized how efficient the desert is at maintaining life without needing a lot from nature. Our average annual rainfall is only 5.8” inches, yet you will see greenery and life within the mountains in July when temperatures average 107°F. I then realized there is a lot the desert can teach us about life. I'll share three of these things with you.
First, it teaches us to be exceedingly efficient with our efforts. By this I mean the following: do not expend more energy on something than what is required, do not let others drain your energy from you and enlist others to help you when you don’t have enough energy to do something on your own.
Secondly, it teaches us not to take more than we need. Whether it’s income, food, alcohol, exercise, sex or sleep we should be careful not to over indulge ourselves. We will eventually get to a point where we’ll demand more than what we need when what we require is a re-evaluation of how much we really need. When we become demanding, we aren’t very likable.
The third thing the desert can teach us about life is once you have what you need, allot how much you will share with others who are truly in need. Nature has a way of creating a very beautiful circle of giving and receiving between plants and animals. A seed carried from one bird can create a new garden miles away. Be sure that you share who you are and what you know with others. You’ll find if you’re not greedy and give freely, people will give freely back to you. Take this little life lesson from nature.
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