People have always told me how beautiful they thought the desert was. I never saw it when I was younger. When I looked around, all I saw was brown, dead earth. Its hot as hell during the summer, freezing in the winter and the wind in the spring will knock you down. I never appreciated it growing up.
I moved away when I was 18. Every place I have lived since has been green and near a large body of water. I craved the ocean, fields of grass, and lush trees. But, every time I came back to the desert for a visit I appreciated it a little more. The vast, open sky amazed me more and more every time I left the confining buildings of the city. I started to see that the desert wasn't just brown. It was gold, rust, chocolate and so many other shades of the earth. 
For a few weeks at the end of summer there is a monsoon season in New Mexico. It will rain for days and days like its never going to stop. The land is so thirsty from a long summer and it soaks up every last drop. After the rain has passed, the desert explodes with growth. The once lifeless land grows into green fields and millions of beautiful wild flowers almost over night. It is amazing to see the transformation.
Now that I'm living in the desert again, I really identify with it. For the longest time I was dormant. I felt plain and lifeless. But being back home and near my family and friends for the past few months has recharged me. I feel myself coming back to life. I see now that the desert isn't dead. It just doesn't have everything it needs to live and reach its full potential. With a little rain it can come alive and surprise you with a beauty you never expected.
