Driving Along I-80

I tried to give equal attention to both sides of the road as I drove. My eyes were drawn away from the road in bursts to admire all of the hay bales adorning the gentle rise and fall of the hills. Somebody's product of hours of labor dotting the landscape beyond the interstate. The cows graze while traffic passes, bringing the occasional bunch of black dots into view.

I pass the same fields on the way home. Even hints of sunlight pushing through the clouds now transform them into something captivating. The gold now has a soft glint to it and initially deters my eyes from the darkening shadows. My open window invites the sweet smell of the damp hay and grass to accompany me on this drive. I shiver a little as I notice the chill and dampness beginning to collect in the air as the change in seasons is tiptoeing this way.

As my chest rises with a deep breath of contentment, my mouth rises with a soft smile. Fields are a beautiful sight to my eyes and a comfort to my mind. That's been true my whole life, it was true in Texas, and it's true to this day. It's what I missed seeing while I was in the city near Chicago at the beginning of college, and it's what I'll miss if I ever move near a big city again. Yes, I'll always be a Midwestern girl through and through.

~"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." [-John Muir]~