Desert Campfire

Thank you for joining me around the campfire this evening. On summer nights like these, I like to sit and watch the stars come out. From here, we have an amazing view of this ancient landscape. There's nothing like it for producing a healthy sense of proportion. It's a great place to let go of stress and worry and find rest. I think it's always nice to start the evening with a wind down. Tonight's wind down is a breathing exercise. So when you're ready, let's begin. First, just bringing the attention to the breath, noticing where you feel it, in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're gonna be taking a deep breath in for four, holding it for four and then breathing out for six. So are you ready? Let's begin, in for four, two, three, four. Hold it for four, two, three, four. Now breathing out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. Great, now returning the breath to normal. Tonight, you can see the moon glowing on the soft hills and valleys of the sand dunes. Yes, the glow of the moon makes the sand seem so silvery as the breeze carries it over the dunes. You could almost imagine the silvered sand tinkling as it falls like little bells. As winds blow across the desert, they gather grains of yellow sand, sweeping them into that corner of the landscape. The piles of sand grow forming a windward side towards the desert breeze. The breeze pushes more sand up along the dune until it falls over the top, shaping the smooth slip-face of the dune. The sand dunes in this desert are shaped like crescents as though each sand dune is a little waning moon. Atop many of these dunes, you can see the creosote bushes fluttering. These bushes grow very big, stretching their roots through the sand to find water. If you crush a leaf, the fresh scent of sap will stay on your fingertips. If I had to say, creosote smells like this warm earth after it rains when the land welcomes any water. Dancing along its branches, the creosote bush grows tiny yellow flowers, no bigger than a thimble. Each flower has five flax and petals curling around a burst of golden pollen. These blossoms scatter in the wind, rolling up and down the dunes like the grains of sand. Yes, something so delicate can bloom in the desert. A few weeks ago, the rain fell upon this desert. The land may seem dry and dusty now, but those rains made so many plants blossom and bloom....