Wilderness

I need to get away. I want to escape into a place where there are no distractions, no interuptions, and no time restraints. I want to go to a place where there is no electricity, no communication with the outside world, and no reality. That means no cell phones, no internet, no television. No hurt, pain, sickness. No need for anything other than my Maker. I need a wilderness of my very own, where I can cry out loud, where I can hear my thoughts, and where I can feel God.

I long to get away from the business of Orange County. I oftentimes forget how fast-paced it is out here. I go from one place to the next with a sense of urgency and feel the hours go by me as I feel like nothing has gotten accomplished. I find that I try to convince myself that I "need" the next best cell phone, the new expensive luxury car, and the house that costs more money. Paying $1,650 a month for rent for 1000 sq. ft. seems like nothing now, yet my bank account says otherwise.

I want to lay in the middle of a grassy field with mountains all around me as I breathe in fresh air, feel it brush over my face, and then feel the sunlight warm my body. I want to hear the birds chirp with delight, lay on my stomach and watch an army of ants build their home, and count the stars at night... wishing later on a shooting star as it bursts through the sky. I want to reawaken my senses and become more in tune with hearing what I need rather than what I want. Sometimes I find myself driving on the highway and imaging myself not turning onto the exit I need to, but rather driving straight ahead...on and on and on until I run out of gas and am stuck in the middle of nowhere. I want to be alone with myself. I want to clear my mind of all this junk so I can hear God more clearly. Can I just be alone for a minute? Can I just get away from "life" and allow myself to live?

(This picture was taken in one of my favorite places... Yosemite National Park.)