I am fascinated by the oases you find in the midst of a desert, or in my case, the midst of New York City. Most of us know about Central Park and have seen a couple of red-tailed hawks nesting in one of the nearby penthouse terraces. New York City is full of oases, from community gardens to the most beautiful live violin music down in the subway you have ever heard in your life.

On Memorial Day, I went hiking in the Tenafly Nature Center in Northern New Jersey. Tenafly is a quaint suburb just ten miles outside of New York City. I had the pleasure of seeing lots of chipmunks, a small garden snake, and a wild turkey. Although there were tons of mosquitoes eating me alive, I walked alongside a lovely lily pond, hearing only the low funny moans of bullfrogs. In fact, I saw the most perfect-looking bullfrog hanging out on the most perfect-looking lily pad.

It is these moments of finding oases that make life worth living. As an artist, I have days when I am parched in the desert sun, dehydrated of inspiration. And then I have a wellspring of water which comes just in time. Who would have ever thought I would find that in this urban jungle? In every jungle there is a waterfall, and behind that waterfall, a secret treasure. I am learning that I find it in the stillness of my mind. It was waiting for me the whole time. 

Marisol Tirelli Rivera