Long Way Home

Original Song by @daily-musings

I'm taking the long way home
Sun is rising, I drive in the glow
I don't have a house but I've got friends I know
I'm taking the long way home

I'm taking the long way home
Mountains rise beside me as I go
Waterfalls flowing from streams of snow
I'm taking the long way home

I'm taking the long way home
Road rises to meet me as I go
I have directions, but destination unknown
I'm taking the long way home

…

The lyrics came to me, all at once, while driving by myself across South Dakota. The summer solstice sunset was glowing pink hues, and I was alone for the first time in a few weeks. There was no one driving behind or in front of me on the remote highway, but I was surrounded by the wild beauty of the west. Dozens of elk and deer were grazing in the ethereal light of the setting sun. The beauty and freedom of the moment brought tears to my eyes, and this song was born.

It's just as much about the geographic journey home, as the more spiritual journey to finding the divine within.

The pasts two months have been a JOURNEY. At times disorienting, breathtaking, lonely, and so beautiful. More than anything I have learned to embrace the home I have within myself, and with those I love dearly. I have felt myself grow in ways that are unperceivable to the observer but impossible to ignore from my perspective. I will never forget it.

These photographs were taken while we were camping in Lake Tahoe.