it’s here at palm springs aerial tramway, where I learned to appreciate, sharing space with strangers again. living in Marfa, and seeing so many strangers come and go out of your small town can make you worlds of cynical. especially when a big chunk of your job is putting a smile on your face to greet those people. being lost in a crowd and simply observing the beauty of how people live/love/and move around in the world, without any pressure to play a role, has always been a favorite way to ground myself. simply taking it in. it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to do this, I’d forgotten how much I needed it. at the top of the mountain I watched as a middle aged woman helped her elderly mother navigate the tricky landscape to see the spectacular view. climbing the same steep steps that made my heart race with nervousness. they did so slowly but with massive grins on their faces. I offered to take their photo together, and they were delighted. I ran into them again just before the decent back down, they were taking a break and giggling about something. sweetly declining the help of several men who came by. it was refreshing and beautiful. neither seemed to be complaining about the position they were in, they were simply glad to be there together. i cried the whole ride, back down. a week later, i’m still unpacking all that i observed. 

* This post was from a solo trip I took in July 2019 during a time when I was desperately seeking a return to myself and to a break from life as I had been experiencing it. I drove down to the Palm Springs area for the day while staying in Twenty Nine Palms, just outside of Joshua Tree for a few days. This is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which travels over two-and-one-half miles along the cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting you to the pristine wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area.