SandScript 2021

wait for my end. The Thunderbird will have
to work for this meal.
Maybe I got lucky, I’ll never know,
but I’m at the edge and I begin the
descent. I resolve to curb my curiosity
and to stay alert to my surroundings. It
is strange how my curiosity nudged me
out of harmony and I didn’t even realize
it. That is until the Big Wind brought the
Thunderbird and the male rain. Now, I
run pell-mell down the trail I struggled
up a short time ago. I can see clearly
the treacherous rocks and I adroitly
avoid stepping on them. I glimpse how
a mountain goat does it, but only for a
moment. I reach the bottom, and at the
base of the mesa, the Thunderbird seems
far away. The Big Wind doesn’t trouble
to follow me as the male rain bashes the
mesa top. The hair on my arms and head
have relaxed and returned to normal. I
notice I am gulping air and my legs are
quivering. I begin a slow wobble toward
home.
I’m soaked and my clothes cling to
my body. I notice the breeze and realize
the Little Wind is with me again. “I never
left you,” it whispers. I am emboldened by
that but at the same time I’m chagrined
that I was caught with my pants down.
My legs, once pendulums turned pistons,
are simply the things that keep me from
falling. I am back by the cottonwood tree
before my legs recover.
I run on; the way my ancestors have
for generations. This seems to be a natural
part of who I am. Taught to me by my
fathers before me, encouraged by my
mothers, I am a part of my people and
I exist among the Holy People. I, once
again, notice the beauty all around me. A
deeper thought occurs to me. We all walk
in beauty, whether we see it or not.
With my clothes still damp and
clinging to me, I continue toward home,
grateful to still be alive, running with a
greater appreciation for life, a deeper
understanding of my ancestors, and a
new perspective of who I am. I am a more
humble man, still needing to run, but now
it is not such a great burden. The Holy
People have reminded me that running is
truly a celebration of life and I recognize
that they are a part of me. I run to live. I
run to honor the Little Wind.
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