You don't have to know...

what to say...

what to do...

how it's all gonna end...

or if it's even going to be OKAY...

I do not have a lot to say today.

I do not have a fancy quote that sums it all up.

I do not have anything profound to add to your life.

I have some spectacular images from a recent backpacking trip.

I am trying to hold onto the feelings from it. The energy. The freedom.

The sense of just being.

There weren't a lot of deep thoughts, it was mostly just making sure I didn't trip over my own feet (which I did), making sure I found safe places to squat when I had to go to the bathroom (never thought I would ever do that!), and making sure there was plenty of fresh water on hand.

Aside from pictures, technology was silenced and nothing mattered except the trail, the view, and the company.

I can honestly say that this trip was by far the most amazing adventure of my life. I want to carry with me the simplicity of it all, the awe of nature, and the absence of stress as I reacclimate to assisting in remote learning, single motherhood, and working two jobs.

I realized during this trip that I don't have to have all the answers. I am a planner by nature. I want to know how everything is going to work out. I like to have a sense of control and security--feel like I have a hold on life.

Backpacking doesn't work that way. You stop for water when it's available. You eat when you are hungry. You cannot control the weather, the terrain, or even the plants and animals you encounter. Showering daily and wearing different outfits? HA! I wore the same clothes three days in a row and boy did I smell by the time I finished! It was neat carrying my life on my back, and really getting a sense of what is most important for survival. It certainly isn't the cute candle I bought last fall, or the mascara I just had to have, or even ____. You fill in the blank.

You take what you can carry.

You utilize what's available when it's available.

When you fall, you get back up and limp along until you can rest.

And the reward is amazing--I cannot wait to plan my next trip and do it again!