If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. — Suzuki
I am ready to put my iPhone on airplane mode and disconnect from my New York City life. Goodbye skyscraper town, I am off to the Big Sky country of Montana.
No Instagram posts for a week. Can I do it? I give my details to family and friends and ask them not to call, text or email. I tell them I don’t need to know if the subway fare goes up, a crane falls, or if there is a sale at Saks (well maybe a sale at Saks). I am off to a photography workshop that Ami Vitale, a National Geographic photographer is hosting at J Bar L Ranch in the Centennial Valley, Montana.
We were warmly greeted at J-L and with a glass of wine in hand my worries of getting lost in the silky smooth mountain tops disappeared. We were a group of seven women, aged 27 to 77, and we immediately connected and began to laugh. It was like we were old souls that had planned to travel together. After eating the famous grass-fed beef, an assortment of colorful vegetables, and a strawberry tart with hints of fresh mint, I sensed an auspicious beginning to my trip.
The morning light peeked in to wake me and I sat by the wood stove and let it warm my skin. As the coffee percolated, I wondered what was brewing inside each of us as we headed out for day one of our photo shoot. Did we all want to get lost in the middle of nowhere and just for a moment be still? I knew I did.
I stood in the wet grass; my wool socks not doing their job of keeping my feet warm, and it was so quiet I thought everyone could hear my heart beating. It was like a Broadway musical, as the horses came galloping through the misty fields and the opening act began with a soft drumming as their hooves hit the bridge. As they galloped, their shiny coats of chestnut, black and champagne blended perfectly with the landscape and we became part of the act, clicking away with our cameras.
Lying alone in my 100-year old cabin it sounded as if the earth itself was making music and the resident mice upstairs seemed to dance along. I could almost hear a faint chant “Welcome to the valley, Tracy.” The melody was comforting, just like the taxis back home.
One morning we helped Bryan (the ranch manager) herd cattle. As we rode along in the sprawling grasslands, the only person missing under the big sky was Billy Crystal. I gazed out to the endless mountains and it was like being wrapped in a velvet robe. The light was forever changing its mood as I was unveiling a new part of me. I had been lost in the mad world of New York City, but as I rode along under the big sky I began to hear Mother Nature speaking to me.
I had heard that branding was cruel, but at J-L they understand the stress of separating the moms and their calves so they keep them together when branding. This is part of their ethical ranching practices to treat all animals with compassion. The tears that watered up in my eyes weren’t about the calves crying for their moms as they received their JL tattoos, but for the care, tenderness and respect these ranchers have for their cattle. It is easy to forget when you are in Whole Foods buying burgers for a barbecue that there are people and animals behind the process.
That night I slept with the dirt on my skin so it could seep into my cells. The next morning in the shower, the brown water fell off my body and the clean smell of the earth infused with sage and wild flowers intoxicated me. It’s no wonder the cows are so happy grazing on this land.
Being in the wide open space allowed me to look inward and although I was there on a photography workshop my eyes were opened to so much more. I arrived on empty and left fulfilled. I was not occupied by technology and devices, just by the whispers of the wind sharing its secrets and something awakened in me that apparently was sleeping. Living among millions of people and buildings it is easy to forget about nature and all the beauty she provides. Albert Einstein said “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” By looking through my lens and being in nature I have more clarity about my life. I still have my New York head but I left with a Montana heart.
TL's Moments 