How keeping present shapes a soulful nature experience in the desert.

I’m still beaming with desert vibes from my recent visit to see family near Tucson, Arizona. A highlight of the trip was accompanying my Aunt Georgia to Saguaro National Park. This is a favorite of hers, and I’d never been, so we jumped in her Prius, took open back roads, and headed for the park on a brilliant blue sky, 75-degree day. 

When we entered the park, I felt excitement rush over me. The crisp National Park map was my key to discovering an entirely new ecosystem to foster connections. There were saguaros everywhere, each busting out a welcoming personality. 

With vehicle congestion behind us and cyclists whizzing by, Georgia asked, “Where do you want to go?” A former version of myself might’ve just accepted the chaotic scenario and tried to make do and find grounding soon enough, but this time, I pressed the pause button, and asked Georgia to pull off to the side of the road so I could get my bearings. 

We surveyed the map together, and she added a few suggestions. I still needed to slow it down, so we drove to another pullout where I could exit the vehicle. Often, I only consider photography once I’m well into a deep nature connection. But this time, I used my love of visual arts as a grounding device. As I mentioned in an email last month about using photography to help find grounding, I quickly connected through the pixels on my phone. 

While my brain was busy opening up to creation, my heart was taking over in a deep connection to the majestic diversity of cacti, each seeming to reach their contorted arms out to me in a welcome brigade. 

Only there for ten minutes, I felt my mind, body, and spirit quickly slow down. Anxiety was now at a more manageable place — fading away. 

Once back in the car, I read the information on the park map (they’re great, by the way), and learned that this part of the park had the world’s most diverse collection of cacti. It sure seemed that way to my untrained eye. In every direction, I could see Saguaro cactus, surrounded by a plethora of other impressive species like cholla, prickly pear, barrel, and palmer agave — often tucked around creosote, catclaw, ocotillo, and trees like mesquite, ironwood, and palo verde. 

Learning that many saguaro cactus grow under and around nurse trees was fascinating. I’m very familiar with nurse logs of Pacific Northwest forests, but in this case, the trees are living — at least for the early years. After reading this email, check out the TikTok videos I created about this subject. The links are below.

It was as if a new world was unveiled with these interdependent relationships. I felt even more connected by learning more about the park’s science. As we continued driving and stopping along the loop, I became more grounded, leaving a lot of space to keep “at the moment” with my fabulous aunt and this cactus forest. 

We spent five hours hiking a two-mile trail, continuing through viewpoints on rocky buttes, and enjoying our mutual love of the desert. The location next to Tucson and the accessible roadway make Saguaro National Park a popular destination. Still, once we were connected to the land, all the distractions seemed to fall away — proving it is possible to enjoy the peace and calm in a busy setting. 

This experience underscores the importance of step #3 in my framework to cultivate a deeper connection with nature. Keep present. Clients are drawn to this material when I facilitate retreats on the Olympic Peninsula — because staying present in our frenetic society is difficult. 

And the first step is to recognize when you’re not present. Press a “pause” or “reset” button that you develop meaningfully for your own nature. 

One telltale for me is hunger while traveling. When I’m hungry, it’s tough to keep present, so I insist on eating when this happens. Food is grounding. Another example is entering a new place, like Saguaro NP, where I’m excited and feel pressure to “see it all.” 

I’ve noticed six fundamental fears that distract people from staying present in nature’s intelligence — “fear of not seeing it all” is one of them. These distractions often carry over to many other parts of daily life. I’ve written an article about distracting fears on my website and encourage you to read it. 

And I’ll close by mentioning that learning and understanding your obstacles to keep present is another benefit of deepening your relationship with nature. The natural world is an excellent unbiased partner in discovering the wilderness of your own life and seeing your wild nature (including fears and distractions) more clearly. 

What are some of the telltale signs that you’re not keeping present? Have you experienced distractions when traveling to a new place? What were the circumstances, and how did you pause or reset the scenario to return to enjoying the moment? 

Here’s to staying present to your wild nature, Matthew