Friday, April 7, 2023
On a sunny day in February, I was out riding my bike on Texas Route 90, riding south out of a little town called Van Horn, which is on the road to Valentine, population 73. It is also the road to Marfa, a somewhat larger town, population 1,750, known for its out of the way but substantial art presence. There isn’t much to see out on Route 90, not in terms of buildings or other signs of human habitation. It appears to be ranch country, for the most part, though most of the buildings I passed seemed to be relics of the past, unlived in, and in need of maintenance or replacement. The road has a wide shoulder and smooth surface, both good features for bicycling. I was riding along in this environment, when I thought to myself, “This is like being in the middle of nowhere. I mean, what do people do out here? There’s nothing here. It’s really like, nowhere.”
For some reason, I suddenly thought, “This might be nowhere, but it’s where I am at. I am now here.” I then thought of the spelling of the word, and it felt like something significant, some kind of important inspiration to me. Nowhere/Now Here. Same letters, same order, with the only difference being one little space after the w in one case. It seemed significant. I mean, have you ever thought about it?
I thought of being “nowhere,” in this case, as being out there, wide open spaces, big sky, one can see for miles and miles and miles, conjuring up the idea of going on forever. Unlimited. Infinite. Somewhere where one can clear their head of anything and everything. There was also a realization that there was no distraction out here. There was mostly just the natural environment, the landscape, the sky with a few clouds, bright sunshine, a breeze.
At the same time, I am riding hard, pushing myself, pumping my legs, blood rushing through my body, heart racing, adrenaline rushing. All this combines to produce a great feeling inside my mind and spirit. I’m feeling the buzz of it. I feel a great energy withing me, and I feel a bond with this natural environment and the energy it contains.
The two terms - nowhere and now here - seemed to be complementary, in balance. I was nowhere and now here at the same time, the same instant. I was very much present in the moment, totally in the here and now. It was a very good feeling, comfortable, energizing and peaceful at the same time. A perfect balance. Think about it.
Regarding this balance, I also thought of chemistry and equilibrium in things such as chemical reactions, solutions, or changes of state (changes from solid to liquid, liquid to gas, etc.) Equilibrium in these processes is represented by a double arrowed symbol, with the arrows going in opposite directions, like this:
An example would be water vapor in the air condensing on a surface, such as on a car’s windshield or grass in one’s yard, as the temperature drops overnight. This change of state would be represented like this, where (g) is a gas and (l) is a liquid.
We don’t need to examine this in detail, but, in simple terms, based on the temperature and air pressure, there is an equilibrium in a dynamic process, by which water molecules pass into/out of each state.
In that time riding my bike south on RT 90, I felt like I was in a dynamic equilibrium between nowhere and now here, such that I felt as if in both places.
Later, back after my ride, I thought of the meanings of the two terms. Nowhere can have a negative or a positive connotation. As seen below, dictionary definitions lean towards the negative.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary has a few meanings, each with negative connotation.
1: not in or at any place
The book is nowhere to be found.
2: to no place
I've gotten nowhere with my research.
Arguing will get us nowhere.
3: not at all: not to the least extent
—usually used with near
nowhere near as serious
nowhere near enough
And Collins Dictionary says this;
You use nowhere when making negative statements to say that a suitable place of the specified kind does not exist. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. I have nowhere else to go, nowhere in the world. He had nowhere to call home.
But it could be seen as a positive thing, too. One example, which has been significant to me over the years, is a lyric in the Beatles’ song, You Never Give Me Your Money, “Oh that magic feeling, nowhere to go,” on the Abbey Road album. Also, “I’ve got nowhere to go” can be thought of having free time, being free, as in “Hey, you want to do something? I’ve got plenty of time and nowhere to go!”
As for Now Here, well, that is two words. Now meaning the present time. Here meaning the present location. Present time and location. Location could be a physical place. It could also be some type of activity, such as a drawing, writing, reading, meditation/prayer, cycling, running, hiking, etc. or even having a conversation or just sharing quiet space with someone (in which case you would share a sense of nowhere-now here with that person.)
I see Nowhere and Now Here as being a balancing act between (1) letting your mind and spirit wander, as if aimlessly, in a state of freedom, of no focus and an ability to be at peace, not being tied to any one thought or concept and (2) being in the present moment in terms of time, place, and environment. Kind of a “free your mind” of anything, of any restrictions, in an extraordinary state of being, in the present moment.
What do you think of Nowhere-Now here?
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