A Note on Fear

So I just finished watching a movie instead of studying for my state EMT exam, because of course I did. Anyway, the closing line was, "We don't need you to make us feel safe, because you made us feel brave." And I was talking to my boyfriend, and he said that we don't have a …

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Coffee House Musings

I have had, I think, the most interesting couple of days—days that taught me about relationship, and about connection. I’ve witnessed desperation, depravity, sadness, hopelessness, all in the span of 48 hours. To say I am emotionally exhausted is, perhaps, a perfectly understated description…hence the coffee. I’ve always argued that you never have to travel …

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A Laugh like Butterflies

So there’s this bridge, yeah? The Swinging Bridge [of death] strung like a tightrope over some pretty chill looking rapids and by chill I mean frigid not cool. My boyfriend’s running back and forth across it like a Circus Act and I’m just kind of lingering at one end, swiping the toe of my boot …

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Things like love.

My mother has always said that I’m a runner. When the going gets tough, I get going. She says I’ve done it ever since I was a little girl. And I have to say, I do remember a smaller version of myself, backpack fully loaded, heading out the door. Proclaiming to any who was listening …

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The things we seek…

I’m sitting at a picnic bench, boiling quinoa, because that’s the hipster thing to do. Also, I’m a millennial, so I might as well act the part. A patch nosed snake slithers by and, despite the lack of venom, I get a funny feeling running up the back of my spine. It doesn’t help that …

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The Backbone Trail

The top of Saddle Peak.  This is an optional portion of The Backbone Trail (wish I had known that before)—you can cut around it and take Stunt Road if you don't want to deal with the elevation.  It was one hell of an uphill climb.  But at the top, there are these wild rock formations. …

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Fear tastes different in the wild.

The past few days, I hiked the Backbone Trail.  Not all 67 miles, but 37, which is enough if you ask me.  And the whole point of this blog is to catalog my travels and sometimes, those travels aren’t so grand. In fact, they can be pretty pathetic. Because here’s the deal: I cried. I …

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Postscript

There’s a lot of beauty in the world. I forget that. A lot.  As in pretty much every damned day. And there’s a lot of love in the kindness of strangers. I think that’s something worth celebrating. Everywhere I’ve travelled, I’ve met people with whom I’ve exchanged a piece of myself. It’s a little tradeoff, …

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