The places I will always go

I have always had a desire to seek out remote places and walk on new ground. There is a sense of newness that comes with exploring an area for the first time.  I enjoy the anticipation of seeing what is up around the bend in the trail.  It is in these times my senses are heighten, and my awareness of the beauty in nature is awakened.  It is easy to hike a long distance and not feel the burden of carrying my camera gear and tripod.  Often times after spending several hours hiking and photographing I will find a spot to stretch out and rest before making the trip back. It could be in a warm patch of sun or the shade of a tree.  As I rest in a semi conscious state, I can hear the birds overhead singing and the sound of a small stream in the distance.  The smell of pine, the blue of the sky, and the peace of feeling at home in the Garden of Eden.

Empty Roads

Travel an empty road to find yourself.  To walk and hear no other sounds but your footsteps on the gravel beneath your feet.  Nothing man made as far as your eyes can see.  I love these places and wished more of my days could be spent there.  There is a wholesome peaceful feeling that surrounds you that is hard to obtain anywhere else.  The world has become blaring and harsh with noise and movement.  People race around preoccupied with things outside their control.  We have become a society that shouts pass each other. Everyone is offended or a victim of something.  We have become much like a spoiled child demanding everyone meet our desires.  We want non stop attention from social media with an ever increasing appetite to be noticed. How sad it is for young people to be enslaved to this type of culture.  They are motivated by what others think, and when the response in not quick enough or negative their world crashes.  What is freedom?  Simple put, it is the ability to live your dreams and fulfill the desires of life.  Freedom is under pressure with a culture of canceling out anyone who doesn't think exactly as a certain group.  Mandates and regulations telling how you must live or be denied your personal freedoms.  We become consumed by our environment we have created.  It is not until you walk on an empty road do you realize that the noise has stopped and you regain your balance of life.