Well, my time here in Florida is coming to an end, and as excited as I am to head out on my first of many wintertime adventures, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by my long list of to-dos that never quite got done. At the top of that list: my grad school applications. Continue reading “Why I Haven’t Applied to Grad School… Yet”
Category: Dreamin’
Thankful
A few nights ago, on the eve of Thanksgiving, I found myself sitting at my computer pondering a blank screen. I thought maybe it would be an appropriate time to write a post about all the things I’m thankful for. The thing is, I spend an awful lot of time on this blog going on and on about how awesome my life is. It’s not that I couldn’t think of anything that I was thankful for, I just couldn’t think of anything that hadn’t been written about before. And honestly, I just wasn’t in the writing mood. I was sitting with my fingers hovering over the keyboard not because I wanted to write, but because I felt that I needed to write. Immediately I realized the obligation in my intentions and eventually I abandoned the post for this reason. Continue reading “Thankful”
Unoriginal
Man how time flies! I’ve been meaning to write this post and many others for more than a month now. I can’t believe October is almost over. Today will be exactly 2 weeks left of work for me here at beautiful Mesa Verde. Continue reading “Unoriginal”
This Land
On a recent hike just outside Telluride, a sign at the trailhead greeted me:
“We are each one of us stewards of this land”
I enjoyed the thoughtful reminder, and thought you might too.
Total, All Encompassing Fear
I have conquered a lot of fears since I moved out west. The move itself was incredibly terrifying – setting myself up 2,000 miles from my nearest friend, in order to teach people about a wilderness of rock I knew nothing about. Since then I have scaled thousand foot cliffs and crossed crevasses too deep to see the bottom. I’ve done yoga on top of an arch and manned a 4-wheel-drive vehicle in the backcountry. I’ve climbed waterfalls, hiked solo, and can name every rock layer in southeast Utah. I’ve learned to smile at strangers and make friends of enemies. I even bought a plane ticket and trekked across Spain on my own. They say the two most common fears amongst our population are fear of public speaking and fear of heights. I surmount both on a daily basis as I give presentations to groups of 40+ while scaling 30 ft. ladders and balancing cliff-side. Continue reading “Total, All Encompassing Fear”
Travel Bug
It was around this time last year that I bought my plane ticket to Spain. It’s been eight months since I’ve been back, and lately the Camino has been constantly on my mind. I’m missing it. How could I not? The experience was so incredible. But I know it can never be remade. Even if I walked the trail again, it wouldn’t be remotely the same experience. Continue reading “Travel Bug”
To Give
I have a confession, single reader. A confession that has been weighing heavily on my heart. I feel like I owe you an explanation, since I’ve been writing so little in the past few months. Yes, I’ve spent a lot of time sick and recovering from different illnesses. Yes, I’ve been keeping busy, sometimes too busy to sit down at the computer. But the real reason I’ve strayed from this blog is simply because I’ve been unhappy. Not hugely unhappy, for the record. I still recognize how lucky I am to live and work in such a beautiful place. I still find myself for the most part surrounded by a loving, wonderful group of friends and family. But I’ve become dissatisfied with my position here, for more reasons than are really appropriate to go into on this blog. Continue reading “To Give”
Peace
My sole piece of responsibility as a volunteer here at Canyonlands is a trail monitoring project which, despite having been assigned to countless volunteers and seasonals in the past, I quickly discovered didn’t actually exist. The idea that someone would slack on such a fun project honestly blew my mind, as I always saw it as the best excuse imaginable to spend less time in the visitor center and more on the trail. But really I should be thanking these lazy former co-workers of mine, because without their lack of enthusiasm I never would have ended up with the sweetest piece of freedom and creativity ever sitting in my lap. So after a week or so of writing proposals and SOPs, I got my ideas for a trail monitoring system approved and hit the ground running. Continue reading “Peace”
A Shower-Lover’s Lament
I can remember wanting to write this post my first season here at ISKY. And now that I’m reunited with my old trailer, my old bed, and my old bathroom, I find myself inspired again. Continue reading “A Shower-Lover’s Lament”
Play Time
I’m inclined to start this post with an apology, though to be honest I’m not quite sure who I’m apologizing to. I know many of my friends and loved ones read this little blog, mostly to keep up with me and the places I go – but as a form of entertainment too, I guess. And so my first thought is to apologize for not updating in so long. But then I think to myself that I’m not really important enough to actually be sorry for this. Don’t worry single reader, I’m not digging for compliments here. I know people enjoy my writing. I’m just not quite at the level that anyone is waiting with baited breath for my blog posts. Continue reading “Play Time”
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