I had a dream a few nights ago that I was living in a frigid cold snow cave. When I awoke, I looked outside my tent to see a blanket of snow covering the desert sand floor and the stunted pinion pine trees. The afternoon before, the scorching 40 degree sun had cracked my lips and burnt my neck a bright crimson red.

I was asked by one of the instructors here at the survival school why I would come back to southern Utah after three years of living in Asia, mostly in large cities. I guess the obvious reason is that it seemed like a better option than finding a mildly fulfilling summer job in eastern Canada. But I had a lot of other options.

I started thinking about the reasons why I really like it down here in the desert, and what they mean. It almost parallels why I like hitchhiking, traveling by motorcycle, and living in huge, crowded, overpowering cities. For some reason I like to hang out among the extremes.

To quote Joseph Campbell, “People say that what we are all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that is what we are seeking. I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive.”

And although I know, at a conscious level, that all this seeking experience  amounts to something like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it, I’ll be damned if I’m not having a great time trying. I’d never make it as a Buddhist.

The important thing is, I’m really enjoying hanging out with my second family down here, relearning old skills and seeking new ones, and experiencing being alive in the extremes of the desert.

Oh, and the picture above was one of the first with my new Canon G9 — I love it and I’ll post more pictures when I’m free.

I’ll be in the field for the next little while. Peace.