Yellow Wildflowers

I went on a camping trip with friends to the beach in Northern California.

A group of us left the next morning, and took a drive up the coast to San Francisco.

It was a usually talkative bunch, but that day everyone was silent.

We rolled down all the windows, and wound our way up highway 1.

I remember the smell of the ocean, and the way the sun felt so welcoming.

And as we drove through a field of yellow wildflowers, I remember feeling so peaceful and joyful in that moment, so lucky to be sharing the day with these people, and so certain that we -- and all of this -- were connected, and a part of something bigger. 

It's a belief I value, and can always come up with arguments for, but never in my life has it been so wonderfully obvious, and intuitively true… Something I could feel with all the cells in my body; a kind of serenity I only hope for most of the time. I just felt truly grateful. 

I try to remind myself of that feeling, when contentment escapes me, and I always think back to that day.