It is #FreebieFriday, but this week, I don't have anything new to giveaway (don't worry... I'll be back on track with that next week). Today, I wanted to talk about the feeling of freedom.
I am so incredibly aware of the fact that, according to Anti-Slavery International, there are roughly 40.3 million people who are living as slaves around the world. These are all people who don't have the freedoms that I have because they have been sold or kidnapped and forced into lives over which they have no control.
I've been feeling rather guilty lately, as I'm at the polar opposite end of that spectrum. Literally, my biggest struggle in life right now is that at the end of this school year I want to move out of Vegas and I can go anywhere in the world, but the immense range of freedom this gives me is completely overwhelming. Combine this with the fact that I am an empath and am aware of the aforementioned statistics and I turn into a hot mess.
In any case, because I do have the freedom that I do, every once in a while, I allow myself to move out of my normal routine and put that freedom to use. On this particular day, I was driving back to Vegas from Ventura and decided to hop off of the highway for a bit of respite at the Zzyzx Road exit. Yes, it is actually a thing. I spent a year wondering about it and got to make a stop on a road trip with a friend back in October, so I knew exactly where I was going, but I just needed to stop driving in a straight line through the desert to give myself a walkabout... however brief it was.
This exact spot is particularly intriguing to me because the world out here is totally silent. I've only ever seen one other vehicle out here. The ground is covered in sand, because this used to be a saltwater lake. The mountains rise up on every side and any time I've tried to walk towards them, they are a kind of mirage. I never feel like I'm getting any closer. I think that this space is probably visited by lots of other people, as this trail marker was there, I could make out other footprints in the salt, and (sadly) there are shards of broken beer bottles all over the place. Overall, leaving the highway at Zzyzx Road and walking barefoot on a no-longer-existant saltwater lake feels whimsical and a bit unreal. It makes me feel free.
What's sustainable about this outfit?
: the blouse was thrifted
: the mala is handmade
: the leather cuff and Be Still bracelet are handmade
: the beaded bracelets are handmade from re-purposed items
: the rings are handmade
: the sunglasses are made of sustainable wood
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