I have been to The Grand Canyon for the first time, and it is an overwhelming piece of wonder.

It is the single most awesome thing I have ever seen: the massive gulf of rocks and space and age, formed in the manner of great art. Which reminds me so much of… well, infinity. It’s an exaggeration of my imagination, of course, but I can’t help that it evokes imageries from Carl Sagan’s Contact to the strange ubership Rama.

My friend Mavic was kind enough to let me stay the few days at her flat in Phoenix as well as experience the Grand Canyon Bliss of 2008. And unexpectedly, a bit something more…

I was designated driver on the trip back from The Grand Canyon to Phoenix (a 3-hour drive, and my first ever drive in the US). At some point we suffered a very long stretch of a badly-paved highway, and then torrents upon torrents of heavy rain. But after escaping that part - it was a little before sunset - the sky brightened up, and somehow the rain that passed caused some kind of effect on the way the sun’s rays “spilled” out of the dark clouds and onto the earth below.

At this same moment we were along the part of the I-70 interstate where around are vast plains and valleys and rock formations, accentuated by looming mountain ranges from afar - very picturesque. The windows were down as Mavic tried to take as many versions of the sky as possible; the wind was blowing into the car. The local FM station started playing Sister Golden Hair (America). And I was driving.

For some reason the combination of all these things activated some synapses in my brain. SUDDENLY, I SAW THE PERFECTNESS OF EVERYTHING.

In that moment’s experience was a strange kind of happiness and contentment… It is somehow akin to those rare times I get these so-called epiphanies, except without the epiphanies. And ten times more powerful.

I guess the best way to describe it is that I had a euphoric moment. And I think it will count as one of the most memorable moments of my life. And to think it was unfounded! Emotions triggered merely by random events occuring at the same time! A bunny pulled off a magic hat! That is a bit unsettling…

The only visible sign of this euphoria was a grin, unusually wide, but otherwise normal-looking, so my companion probably never noticed anything out of the ordinary. I did not impart this story to her personally (although she will see this post sooner or later), for the sole reason that she would probably think of me as this crazy nut job who overly romanticizes every little new thing he sees.

Which of course, is quite the truth :P