Strolling Amok

The One Thing

Sign in a ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona.

While vacating my campsite and heading for Congress to better deal with incoming storms (and their mud pits), I drove past a series of small ranches along a paved section of Rincon Road. The sign in the photo above caught my attention, and I stopped and backed up to take a better look. It was a simple cattle ranch, but the sign’s ardor seemed to say it all. Someone had found the one way of life that resonated with him/her, and wrote out a phrase from a song lyric for all the world to see, perhaps to declare that this particular venture is not just a way to make do until something better comes along. It’s not about the money, or a quest for “success” or prestige. Nor is it about “living free” of all constraints and responsibilities, approaching the world in a self-absorbed, narcissistic way that contributes nothing of real value back to it. I consider that it’s more about finding that one harness that fits well. It’s about living in such a way that we look forward to each day, with what we do feeding something satisfying into our souls. I can attest to the potential difficulty of finding that one harness (and the inherent difficulties that often go along with living in it), but if we can manage to do that, then there’s little need to bank on a future with no guarantees. Today is enough.