Within These Canyon Walls

          The warm wind gently rocked the spring wildflowers back and forth beneath the bright yellow sun. I followed the path between them, listening to their whispers as I came closer and closer to my destination. I had been here before, but excitement still gripped my soul – the bottom of Grand Canyon had never failed me in being beautiful. It was always an amazing array of colors and textures; everything always seemed to breathe with life. Each moment was an adventure, and from the first time I hiked the canyon, I knew that there was something special within its walls. An invisible power had taken me forever captive from the moment I first arrived.
          My deliberate travels soon took me through the thick brush where I followed the path until it opened up into a tiny beach. The mighty Colorado River that had carved the great stone roared along its banks, sparking in the light of the afternoon. It was then I saw him. I knew he’d be waiting for me, but his presence was still a surprise. I had only just met him as a fellow hiker, and had been uncertain of his sincerity. I swallowed hard before his face turned to acknowledge me.
          “You know, I’ve been here several years and I’ve never seen the canyon this green. I was told it hasn’t been this lush for decades.”
          He gestured to the hundreds of tiny golden flowers that grew all around us. I nodded, still speechless. We sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at the towering canyon above. It was absolutely magnificent.
          “Do you think it’s a sign?” I eventually asked.
          “A sign for what?” he answered.
          “That maybe,” I began, “Mother Nature is trying to tell me something?”
          He looked into my eyes.
          “And what do you think she’s saying?”
          I slowly brushed my toe across the sand before I answered.
          “I think,” I said, “that she might be trying to tell me that this is my home.”
          He paused for a minute, then smiled a sweet smile of understanding.
          “Kate, I think you’re right. This place could be what you’ve always been searching for.”
          And from that instant on I knew what I was meant to do. My soul wasn’t intended for a life of predictability – it wasn’t designed for a perpetual cookie-cutter existence. I was created wholly and perfectly for the sweet passion of exploration. I belonged somewhere where my heart could break away from conformity, where I could finally grow and become the person I’d always wanted to be. Here there were no rules, no schedules, and no false statuses to maintain. Here I could be myself.
          I turned to look at my guide.
          “I hope so,” I told him, “because this place is the closest I’ve ever been to perfection.”
          He took a deep breath and sighed.
          “Never forget that. When you go back home and back into the real world, never, ever forget what you just said. You’ll always have something better waiting right here for you.”
          And with that he touched my shoulder. I didn’t dare speak.
          “You’re going to be a beautiful person,” he whispered. “Just don’t let that heart of yours go to waste. This canyon will always, always be waiting.”
          “And what about you?” I asked.
          “You never know,” he breathed. “I just might be waiting too.”