Orion’s Belt is one of the few constellations I recognize even in the overlit skies of the city. I am not scornful of this place. If anything, I am protective after years of defending my choice – or happenstance – of an urban home. Wilderness tugs at me also, but in truth I have some suspicions. Where are the people who for thousands of years lived daily in these wide spaces, now clear of human inhabitants, open to visitors who can afford the time and the gear? We all deeply need a connection to place, to earth and trees and sky and wildness. Can we find it where we live? Can we tend what is close, moving lightly on our feet, instead of filling our gas tanks once again to escape? I am not looking to judge. I have done – and will continue to do – both. I am looking only to understand how to live well in this crowded world around me, this harsh and beautiful world where both space and justice are so unevenly shared.

From 100 Words: The Beauty of Brevity. Word prompt: belt.