Plant Walk
This morning, I thought I’d take my mountain bike and explore the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It was a good plan—a plan of movement, effort, and tackling mountains on wheels. But when I went to load the bike, I found one tire flat, deflated as if mirroring my initial resolve. A sigh escaped me, and I faced a choice: repair it and ride or shift the day’s rhythm entirely? The hike called to me instead. Driving toward the preserve, I wrestled with irritability, a low-grade storm within me ignited by unbidden judgments of my fellow humans. Why was I so consumed with thoughts of others, their imagined failings, and their imagined lives? I turned off the music, seeking a quiet that could unravel the knot in my chest. In the silence, I found a momentary truce with myself. I took a deep breath at Sunrise Trail’s parking lot and grabbed my trail pack. The trail's incline began immediately, challenging my legs and lungs. It’s a trail close to homes, and humanity's proximity remained i...