There’s something novel about a mid-western haystack to an East Coaster. While a haystack to many may look like nothing other than a round cylinder-like natural structure in the middle of a field, they captivated me from the moment we hit South Dakota.
What was more remarkable to me was the virgin newness and innocent reaction I had to some of the simplest sights and the most basic of pleasures. It took more than a haystack to remind me how much beauty I had access to and how much was yet to enter my life.
Perhaps I delayed this trip because I felt after traveling across Africa, Asia, Australia, the former Soviet Union and Europe, the blandness of Route 66 and the American midwest could never excite me.
And yet, the excitement came from the inner peace I felt when I looked at a haystack, the joy I felt when I climbed to the top of one and rolled around scratching my stomach and arms with its edges. It came from the sunset beyond the haystack, the vast emptiness and flatness of the sprawling farms and the lazy cows grazing in the distance.
There’s something about those midwestern Haystacks. They’re the color of and smell of the earth. It reminded me of Marcel Prévost’s quote: the age of your heart is the age of what you love.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
