If you asked me to find this pond again I probably couldn’t.
And if you asked me if this really happened, I would have said no had it not been for the cache of photos that came back on my phone.
A friend had given me vague directions on where to find some locales for pictures, and once I got in the general vicinity of his recommendation I simply started exploring the side roads and park paths, eventually ending up on the edge of this pond.
I’m lonesome but happy, rich but I’m broke
And the good lord knows the reason, I’m just a cowpoke
The day was windy – I do remember that – exceptionally windy – and sunny too, but the sun was swiftly on the descent. Dusk comes quickly – quicker than you think it will – and getting caught in the dark on the unfamiliar backroads far from home is not my idea of a good time. But for the moment of these photos, my head wasn’t calculating that – I only knew I was in a place of solitude, a place of beauty, and a place that was already healing in its waterside calm, even with all the wind.
From Cheyenne to Douglas, the ranges I know
So I drift with the wind, no one cares where I go
The magic of contemplation is lost in our present-day madness, and the power of mindfulness is only for those who are willing to put down the phone and practice. In other words, lost arts both of them, except for those of us who still try, who can still fully unplug and not freak out about missing something. FOMO is the gateway drug to unhappiness and unfulfillment.
I ain’t got a dime in these old worn-out jeans
So I’ll stop eatin’ steak and I’ll go back to beans
How does a song like this matter in the modern world? I’m not sure it does, not in any real substantial way that hits across cultures and countries. But it matters to me, and maybe one or two of you who listen to it too. Kind of like how much this blog matters – not much to more than me and one or two of you.
I’ll pick up a ten spot in Prescott, I know
Ridin’ the broncs in the big rodeo
While I will occasionally get lost on the back roads of New York State, I don’t usually get lost in loneliness, and that’s a happy by-product of learning how to enjoy solitude. I’m not sure it’s something I learned, as it’s always been within me. My resting state is at its most calm when I’m alone. That scares almost everyone else I know, and the most engaging and charismatic people are those who fear solitude more than anything else. Strange juxtaposition when you truly think about it.
Some evenin’ in the springtime, a filly I’ll find
I might spend all summer with her on my mind
There’s meaning in the melody, a sentiment that prevails despite ancient names and outdated references – a message for the modern cowboy – to keep going, to prove elusive, to be free of care and branding and broke-ass boundaries – paying dearly with our hearts even if our heads know better.
I’ll never be branded and never be broke
I’m a carefree range-ridin’ driftin’ cowpoke
