I like to hunker, usually alone, often. I get some slack for this, but I like and need to be alone, at least a good portion of the time. But the more important point is that my westward view is almost ideal, and I get to witness some pretty intense, incredible sunset moments from the comfort of my backyard.
I recently posted this question on Facebook: Where (or, I suppose, for some, what or who) is your sense of place? It can be a complicated question. I couldn’t answer it for a long time, and I still don’t think I’m overly confident when I do.
As nomadic as I’ve been (I’ve lived in 12 different states, on the road, countless towns and not-towns), sense of place is surprisingly important to me. Living somewhere I hated or felt no connection to has ruined romantic relationships for me and put me in pretty dark depression phases. It matters, intensely, where I live.
I feel a sense of place in Taos, despite not having many friends here. I’ve felt it in a couple very particular places in the Hill Country and southern Idaho/northern Nevada. I’m not a city person, but I’ve felt the inherent good of people in these places, despite not really being an active part of the community.
Sense of place/Home is much more of a love and connection of/to the land for me. I came to Taos on kind of stupid and gross terms, and thought I should probably leave ( I still wonder) because of that, but I felt linked and attached with the area (Northern New Mexico in general).
To keep this (extremely) local, these are all photos of my backyard where I’ve lived the last (almost) 2 years. It has not been hard to look at.
Delicious Photos!
Where were you in the Hill Country? One of my favorite places on earth is Lost Maples State Natural Area. Full of Barking Frogs that create a magical nighttime soundscape in the spring.
These photos do justice to the obvious majesty of the New Mexico skies. I hope that your sense of place grows and grows.