Desert Bloom: Part One, Kansas
Paul and I are partners on the road. No frills, no pretense. Like Bonnie and Clyde, but no crime just freedom. The road is where we lose the layers we wear for the world. Out there, we’re just ourselves. Simple, honest.
We’re exposed, but that’s where the strength comes in. There’s nothing to hide behind. It’s just us, stripped down to what matters. The road stretches out, and with it, -we find a quiet kind of security. No masks, no walls—just the open air and each other. That’s enough.
On this occasion, our journey took us first out of Missouri and into Kansas. The highway unfurled before us, a ribbon of asphalt cutting through the landscape. As we drove, the vast fields opened up, stretching infinitely under a sky that felt like it could swallow everything whole. The tall grasses swayed in rhythm with the wind, undulating like waves in a green ocean, and I could almost hear them whispering truths lost to the noise of the world.
The wind turbines dotted the horizon, towering over the fields like silent guardians. Their blades turned slowly, a mechanical ballet powered by the very breath of the earth. Watching them, I couldn’t help but reflect on our place in this expanse. Here, amid the enormity of nature, the complexities of life felt stripped away. The highway became a metaphor, stretching toward the unknown, each mile a reminder of the journey itself.
In this open space, the weight of existence pressed lightly on my chest. It was a reminder that life is often a series of roads—some well-traveled, others uncharted. Each choice, each turn, shaped our path. I thought of the turbulence we often carry, the distractions that cloud our vision, and how, out here, everything felt clearer. The vastness encouraged introspection, challenging me to confront my own smallness in the face of such grandeur.
As we continued down the highway, the road ahead was both a destination and a journey. I felt a quiet understanding settle within me: that sometimes, to find ourselves, we must lose ourselves in the openness of the world. And in that openness, perhaps, lies the truth we seek.
