Unlock Meaning Through Daily Writing
Writing daily allows me a framework to categorize what is the most meaningful moment I’ve experienced in the last 24 hours. Some days, I have to dig deep to find the moment, or series of moments. Because of that, I am finding that I’m making different decisions daily than IContinue Reading
Nostalgia and Wisdom: Lessons from Sweet Memories
It’s funny how the things we have a lifelong aversion to, return to us as our teacher. This morning, I set out for my 2 mile walk along an Arkansas county highway that is near my late mother’s and stepfather’s home. As I was mid-way into my walk, the earlyContinue Reading
Life Lessons from the Great Sand Dunes
Yesterday, we stopped by the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Reserve on our way to Amarillo, Texas on the first leg of our trip back home. The dunes are massive. They are a living geometry of wind, gravity and time. I felt like I was standing in a sineContinue Reading
Goodbye Colorado
I’ve had a wonderful week in Colorado, and I’m sad to put it in my rear-view mirror, but it’s time to get back to my life in Virginia. The perspective that different landscapes offer me emotionally is why I travel, and I feel more at home with myself now thatContinue Reading
Rethinking the Use of ‘Perfect’ When Ordering Food
Lately, I’ve noticed how often people, especially waitstaff, answer ‘perfect’ when I order something. And it drives me nuts. The conversation is the same…no matter where I go. “I would like some soda water.” Perfect! “I’d like the gluten-free pizza with non-dairy cheese and chicken.” Perrrrfect. I’ve always had aContinue Reading
Why Slow Travel on Forest Roads is Worth It
I prefer to travel where the pavement ends and my phone says, “No Service”. Let me also add, as long as I am in a high clearance 4-Wheel drive vehicle. For the last four years, my step-father and I have headed out West to explore forest service roads that leadContinue Reading
Fly Fishing: Embracing New Waters Through Grief
The river gave me more than a view yesterday…it handed me back my joy. I’ve always loved to fish. When I was a little girl, and dad told me he was going fishing early in the morning, I would get dressed and sleep in my clothes so he wouldn’t leaveContinue Reading
The Joy of Play: Learning to Sling by the River
Yesterday, we traveled to Gothic, Colorado, and spent the day playing and resting peacefully near the East river. The valley past Gothic is one of my favorite locations near Gunnison. Gothic is an old mining town that turned ghost town fairly quickly when the wire-silver discovery went bust. Now, it’sContinue Reading
Understanding Marble: From Limestone to Lifelong Growth
Yesterday, I visited a place in the Rockies where limestone is transformed into marble. It was a heck of trip over the mountains on a forest service road from Crested Butte to Marble, but worth the effort. But what is marble, exactly? Marble starts out from limestone. Limestone is theContinue Reading
Discovering Insights at Black Canyon of the Gunnison
It’s not often that an experience leaves me breathless, but yesterday, my visit to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park did just that. The South entrance is closed due to fire damage so we took off from Gunnison, Colorado on Hwy 50, and drove to the North entrance toContinue Reading
Reflecting on Landscapes: A Road Trip Through Southeast Colorado
It takes two days to get here by car, but what a beautiful road trip! We drove through Southeast Colorado yesterday taking the back roads to our destination in Gunnison. Nothing other than striking scenery, but I took some time to reflect upon how a landscape mirrors different aspects ofContinue Reading