North Dakota: 5 of 50

Takeaways:

• Surprise!  North Dakota is full of fields and they are stunning.  I suggest driving through the state just to see them.  Especially if you make it to the Enchanted Highway, full of gigantic, man-made statues.
• I get a little sidetracked on this specific blog post, but I did visit the Geographical Center of North America and a live herd of Buffalo at the National Buffalo Museum (I also fed a little goat).  Both were fun but if you are picking between the two, visit the live herd.  Bonus:  There is a giant bull statue to take your picture with.
• MUST SEE the International Peace Garden.  Yes you will leave the border of the United States, no you do not currently need a passport as you don’t cross into Canada either.
• If you lose the chord which connects your camera to your laptop, buy a new one right away!  Otherwise you’ll end up never using your camera and having to make a DVD at Walgreens just to get the ones you took months ago for a very delayed blog post you are writing.  O.K., this might just be a bit specific and have nothing to do with North Dakota, but still; lessons learned.
• Choose peace over fear or hate.  Choose it for yourself but also because it makes the world a better place for everyone else.

North Dakota, I did not realize how beautiful you can be.  Driving through last July opened my eyes.  Your fields of lavender were stunning but it was the giant statues built by a local art teacher to drive tourism to North Dakota that I enjoyed the most.  The Enchanted Highway‘s structures standing tall, popping up out of nowhere, watching over the N.D. produce made me smile in a way I couldn’t help.  I wish I could have seen the look on someone’s face if they didn’t mean to drive down this two lane road, being suddenly met by a giant metal cowboy or family of deer.

My mother and I (we were still on our road trip, see: South Dakota) then turned around and drove north to the place I was most excited to visit on this road trip, the International Peace Garden.  It is located between the border of the United States and Canada, celebrates two nations, living peacefully side by side. You can walk right along the border through the main garden, or drive around the perimeter, visiting both Canada and the United States.  My favorite place in the garden was a greenhouse filled with succulents and cacti.  I didn’t realize just how many different species there could be and I guess I found something beautiful about a plant made of spikes that also flowers.

Within the garden, there is a statue on the US side gifted from Canada after 9-11, a symbol of remembrance and support from one country to another during a time of great pain.  The garden is dedicated with a cairn, built from stones collected on both sides of the border.  It is inscribed with a “Promise of Peace”, an ideal I think each of us can treasure and appreciate.  I feel a very personal connection to the idea of peace as I am currently on a journey to find it within myself.  Over a period of a year I let fear and self-doubt take over my life.  It changed my thoughts and feelings about who I am and the world I lived in.  Now, I am learning to forgive and move on, refusing self doubt and fear, finding calm after the storm.  The International Peach Garden was a wonderful place to take a deep breath, let forgiveness seep in and smile, knowing I am moving in the right direction.

As I finish typing this entry, it is not long after the terrorist attack in Paris.  It is difficult to put words to my feelings.  I lived in France for a year and it was a time of great growth for me.  It was the first time I had ever really been alone. But while I was by myself a lot, I also relied on the support and friendship of strangers and new friends.  I received nothing but love, acceptance and assistance when I usually had no idea what I was doing or where I was going.  My time in France was one of filled with peace and to think of the people who were so wonderful to a young American girl who barely spoke French feeling anything but the same makes me upset and quite frankly, pissed.  My heart aches for Paris, for France, for the people who lost their loved ones.  Vous me manquez, mes amis.  

I can see these attacks changing people’s thoughts and feelings towards those around them and the rest of the world but we need to find the strength to focus on peace, fighting back by not letting it change who we are and who we want to be.  I refuse to be frightened into changing my beliefs about my world and the people who live in it just as I have learned (and am still learning) to refuse self-doubt and fear from my own personal grief.

Starting this post talking about North Dakota and ending with Paris doesn’t exactly make sense.  BUT we are all connected in some way, every one of us, from North Dakota to France and beyond, even if it is not clear right away.  Whether we travel the world or just our hometowns, we need to appreciate and respect our differences.  I hope for a day when peace and love conquers our desire to hate. I have no use for anger in my life or in my heart anymore and if you’re reading this, I hope you realize you don’t either.