"I made up my mind when I was a young girl I've been given this one world I won't worry it away But now and again I lose sight of the good life I get stuck in a low light But then Love comes in..."

"Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future....

...The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

-Jon Kraukauer

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike. 
- The Yosemite (1912)

“As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can".” 
― John Muir 

It’s funny how little habits and small normalcies can become essential to survival.

Often times I find myself the happiest in the small quiet moments of life,

Where I am fully me and living as honestly as possible.

Change can bring so much good.

Widening of perspective,

New experiences and new people,

A great appreciation for a road never traveled,

Sights, sounds, food,

Opportunity and hopefulness.

But it also wages an internal war,

To constantly be leaving,

And behind me in the rearview the people and places of old familiarity wave sad good byes.

I’ve reached a new phase,

I’ve leveled up, so to speak.

I’m trying now to be a gardener and plant roots,

To grow something beautiful and permanent.

This was not always the way it was before,

And as I navigate uncharted territory,

I realize I am once again faced with the challenge of patience.

As things may have been instantaneous, or seemed so, prior…

Growing something takes time and effort.

Patience that the seeds will blossom into something wonderful.

I have never been good at patience,

And though I have learned to distract myself,

There is still a part of me that wants it all right now.

I wonder if all the waiting

to be in my here and now

has finally worn me down.

I wait for teachable moments to help me see a bigger picture,

And I crave the small familiarities of being in this place.

Such a seamless transition,

And I feel it bearing down on me as real decisions have to be decided.

It genuinely worries me to think that all the moving has been a bandaid,

A distraction and a temporary solution.

But then I remind myself that to be surround by this type of beauty,

It makes sense.

The ocean has always been my favorite.

It is both a divider and a connector.

Vast, powerful, and home to so many things.

Untraveled and unexplored,

But temperamental and powerful.

It mostly reminds me how very small I am.

And in this big big world,

It’s important to maintain perspective.

That life is big and it has plans you cannot even imagine.

But do not be dissuaded by size,

Because even the smallest stone can create ripples.

This is to say that it all matters,

And every piece you add to the puzzle helps create a masterpiece.

I find that the most surprising thing is that my thoughts are full,

And the bucket list has been well attended,

But there is still so much more.

Nothing I predicted,

Nothing that I planned on.

But I know that this is not enough.

Home is not the location,

But rather the place you make.

And even when it seems like it comes easy,

It still takes work.

So don’t give up.

It is easier to figure out what you really want from life,

As the distractions are removed,

One by one.

And you are left standing in the middle of the perfect life you designed.

You have to peel back the layers of it

and face the truth.

To figure out what that means to you and why knowing is important.

Maybe it’s just to to be able to come face to face with a truer version of self.

Maybe it’s too battle undefeated demons of the past.

Maybe it’s to find the tools to break down that wall that is keeping you back.

I’ve come a long way.

Longer then I thought possible in this short time,

But now that I’m here it’s time to dig deeper,

And truly understand what it means to stay.

And what it means to be completely myself

in the location of my design.

And all the distractions of the past are gone,

And all the leaving is done.

And it’s a new type of challenge that has never been endured.

But i’m confident as ever as I proceed into my new future.

Remembering how much it matters,

Maintaining patience,

And soaking up as much beauty as possible.