You know the feeling when you think to yourself, It just doesn’t get any better than this? Everything in its right place. It feels like winning the lottery. I had a moment like that not too long ago during a week in Joshua Tree National Park. I am comfortable traveling off-trail and had found my way to a place I’ve dubbed “The Gumdrops.” After taking far too many photos, I kicked back in the shade of a pine tree and marveled at my good fortune — to be in that place at that time, with the sun slanted just so and the rocks around me all aglow, thinking, Just this. This is enough.
It was a pretty uncomplicated moment. I had a daypack with some salami and cheese, plenty of water, a map, a first aid kit and an extra layer of clothes. I’d bed down that night in a tent that I’ve had for 30 years, in a sleeping bag of the same vintage. In a world as complex as ours, it’s remarkable that the best of times can be so simple — that so little can feel like enough.
Reconsidering the concept of what is enough is going to be an important part of facing the future, as a region and as a society. It can be hard enough to learn to live within our own means, and yet this moment requires that we also learn to live within the bounds of what our ecosystems can handle and inspire our friends and neighbors to do the same. This is especially true when it comes to natural resources. When people feel entitled to take more than their share, it can leave a place utterly ruined — whether it’s a tiny pond, a teeming ocean or an entire planet. For these reasons and more, it is best to practice restraint. To tread lightly and leave some for others. To divert limited resources to those most in need.
I’d brought all the water I needed on that trip to the Mojave Desert, where washes only flow in the immediate aftermath of rain. I’d planned my meals and brought clothes that could be layered to suit the weather. With a little forethought, I had all I needed. Everything in its right place. It’s appealing, isn’t it? Simplicity and restraint. Wonder and awe. The best days of our lives are not about things but the people and places we love. And making sure there is enough to go around.
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This article appeared in the June 2026 print edition of the magazine with the headline “Enough to go around.”
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