This is Deputy Digby Pancake.  You know that I have been looking for a pancake tree for years and years.  I have not found one yet, even though we have been across the USA six times now.  And therefore, I believe it was highly unnecessary that we had to go to a desert where there are famous Joshua Trees, which in fact are not trees, and they are not pancake trees.

But.  We did.  We headed to Joshua Tree National Park this weekend.

Girl Person told us that that the desert would be very hot, and indeed it was.

Might I say it was so hot that you could fry a pancake?  And as we drove thru and looked at all the Joshua Trees, many cactus (yes, I know proper grammar is cacti, but that word looks weird) and hot sand, it became clear to me that this was a place that was unique and special.

It was special even though it did not have pancake trees.

If you have ever found yourself somewhere that you were not used to, like we felt in the desert, you might feel out of place. It also might take you a minute to realize that maybe, just for that moment, you are actually meant to be there.

Because as we gazed into the expanse of the desert and felt the calming peace of it surround us, we stopped.  We didn’t worry about taking a picture right then.  We didn’t worry about where we had to go tomorrow, or what time it was.  It wasn’t the place for that.  The desert is so overwhelming and majestic that it does not let you worry.  It makes you concentrate on your breathing, what is around you, and the feelings you have right then.  It makes you stay present.  Yep.  Just like a dog lives every day. In the moment.

Life is not easy for persons, and sometimes, they don’t end up in life where they want to be.  That is what Girl Person told us. Maybe they feel like they have the wrong job, or not enough money, or they worry about things that have happened to them, or things that will happen in the future.  And they may feel like they are in a desert with no chance of survival, or refreshment.  But did you know that when you find yourself there, it may be where you need to be just for a moment, even though it is hard?  You may have to really look to find what is wonderful in your life.  You may find just enough water to survive before you can carry on.  But when you find that water?  Oh, won’t it taste wonderful?  And you will remember your time in that desert.  And you will indeed remember its beauty and how you learned from its lessons.

Not all plants or trees can survive in a desert.  But the ones that do survive, well, they flourish! They bloom, they are beautiful.  And even though it doesn’t happen every day, the beauty is unmistakable when it does.

We are definitely not desert dogs, it is no secret we love the water.  But we wouldn’t have traded our time in Joshua Tree National Park.

First of all, we got to see a part of the country that is how is is supposed to be.  We saw nature able to live up to its potential. And although I didn’t find any pancake trees…still..the Joshua Trees, who only grow here, were just as sweet.  But yep.  They were a little prickly.

Joshua Tree National Park was medicine for our souls. Nature is such an essential part of life, and provides many lessons for us all…if we just breathe in what it is trying to tell us.  We have to be present to listen.

Today, we are headed out of this California place and on our way to Gila Bend, Arizona!  Who is with us?

-Deputy Digby Pancake

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