remembering that not everyone likes the desert

recently i've been thinking about how i am from the desert and love the desert - the extreme landscapes; the cactus flowers; the starry night skies - but how some people just don't like it. it's just not for them. either way, it doesn't matter: the desert is doing its singular thing in its singular way. as the cartoonist Lynda Barry might say, it survives their dislike. some people find it beautiful. i find that reassuring and even aspirational