Keep looking.

I’d been tricked into a game of hide-and-seek with The Bright Side (and I was losing). We all have those days. The sun was hiding, too, and the gloom seemed fitting. I hadn’t realized I was seeking solitude until I found it, there at the very top of a deserted Empire Pass.

Thick, juicy clouds hugged the mountains like a warm winter shawl. From this lonely vantage point, I could see the rain falling heavily into the valley below. We merely traded a handful of tears, the storm and I. They mingled on my cheeks like kisses as I walked through late summer wildflowers. My jumbled thoughts were interrupted by the cry of a hawk overhead, the low rumble of deep thunder in the distance. Higher and higher I went, unsuccessfully keeping pace with Cholula, until the aspens and pine trees gave way to craggy rock clusters and dry grasses.

I paused to savor the view. Blissful solitude. I was surrounded by the storm, but the sun peeked through the clouds and I felt its welcome warmth on my face. I watched my dog skitter around the shale after a chipmunk, tail wagging. I closed my eyes and listened to my breath. I smelled the approaching rain in the air.

I hadn’t realized I was seeking inspiration until I found it, there in the rough rocks in the form of wildflowers. Above the tree line, where no vegetation grew easily, there they stood. Vibrant. Resilient. Brave. I took note of their strong beauty and walked on, mindful.

Without a set destination, there was no defined end to my wandering, but the thunder prodded me along. I paused to blow a wild dandelion into the breeze, my heart full of wishes. The wind picked up behind me, as if to help lift each heavy step. With a renewed hopefulness, I followed that wagging tail back down the hill, toward comfort. Toward home. Toward love.