As I look out at the barren desert of Nevada, I am reminded Earth Mother gives us "something for everyone." Flying over the state from Las Vegas to Reno, the entire scene below was barren land. The gentleman sitting to my right was from Las Vegas, and his love for the country side was evident. He pointed out the various land formation, where gold was being mined, where Area 51 was located, how the very distinct lines in the land below were where someone was dividing the land into parcels to be sold to people "out east," it was most interesting. When I asked where the trees were, he told me Las Vegas only gets about 1 inch of rain a year; so any foliage they have must be watered by human hands every day. I continued the questions with, "so where does the water come from?" and was told it is piped from the Hoover Dam and there are individuals seeking to have a huge waterline developed that would bring water from the Colorado River.
     It was all very interesting. I told him I was a tree lover and living in the area would be impossible for me. He responded by telling me he wasn't crazy about trees because they block the view of the horizon. He says when you are in the desert you can see for miles and it is a very "expansive" feeling; the sky is visible from horizon to horizon with thousands of stars everywhere. I remember how that looks from a trip my daughter and I made to Wyoming one summer. I recall after setting up the tent looking at the then darkened skies to find stars from horizon to horizon. It was like standing on the edge of the planet (which, of course, we are; however, it doesn't feel that way until you see all the open space.) So I do understand what the gentleman was talking about.
     For me, I love the tender fullness of the trees that surround the lay of the land. It's a protective feeling of being "buffered" (for lack of a better word) from all the elements one may encounter. However, every person has something that brings comfort and security to their hearts. Having such a conversation was most certainly eye opening as yet another opportunity was put in front of me to view life from someone else's perspective.
     Whatever brings YOU comfort, joy, peace, harmony or any other word that can be used to describe what strokes your heart, I'd say all of us on this planet have quite the gift from Creator to find something that brings us a sense of connection to the divine.