Migrating west to explore mountains of shifting tectonic plates,
I found my slabs of granite but along the way
sedimentary life was discovered.
Settle down easy with a new geology that
features the comings and goings of ancient seas..
Beginning as debris from eons past
individual sand grains sculptured by random events,
at long last concluding with exotic mesas and canyons.
Sedimentary life is my essence,
I share its geological basics: deposition and erosion.
Hold-on you are at the crossroad.
Like most juveniles, religion was too abstract, instead
hanging out with friends enjoying a Sunday smoke was easier.
Along the way values changed
as an hour inside a church became comfortable.
Except during extended sojourns into the natural world,
where I felt secure with Mother Nature providing the altar,
then both the Wind River Mountains and the Robbers Roost
representing my ultimate cathedrals.
Reexamining what constituted church was required
with the advent of coronavirus.
I miss the structure and social aspects of pre-virus days where
a coronavirus world has begrudgingly forced change.
Facing today’s reality the natural world produces a sense of
spirituality during a pleasant hike
in either a tectonic or sedimentary world.
Eighteen years ago John headed west, settling in Heber, Utah. Focusing on the environment and giving back to community soon became as natural as his beautiful surroundings. Departing the corporate world in 2006 John immersed himself in a year of graduate studies at the Teton Science School, Jackson, Wyoming. Place-based education opened new perspectives on nature and spirituality. After graduation several seasons were spent as a wilderness therapy guide and conservation corps crew leader. Mentoring to these “kids” remains one of his proudest achievements.
Today John saunters throughout much of Wyoming and the Colorado Plateau migrating seasonally between deserts and mountains. Priorities include living in the moment and understanding/reflecting on the natural world.
