Tag Archives: travel

Out There

I climb 

Each step higher a step wiser

Golden hills glint flaxen 

A wispy hand in the clouds reaches down

to brush the cheek of a proud green peak

My path is carved by trunks

solid and peaceful

old souls cocooned in bark  

Wind roars 

like the fire in my soul

flames fed by an untouched world

Out there I am infinitely small.

I frolick

Rainbow droplet spray off my worn rubber boots

I turn wild with the flowers grown thick wherever they wish to take root

Movements light 

Smile easy 

A turn onto a dirt road

Gravel scatters in the wake of adventure 

Spontaneity a loved one 

as the future unfurls it’s wings and takes flight before me 

Out there joy seeks me out. 

I fly

Twin arcs slice

angles calculated

hip reaching to kiss the snow 

Load and release 

a zing forward

a burst of speed

pure unbridled adrenaline flows 

Board slices through water

cutting sharp lines 

A shadow

one with nature

flirts with the depths  

A whole world watching from below 

Controlled breath

racing heart 

a craving to find more

dig deeper 

push harder 

faster 

farther 

Innovation the new game 

Out there I strive for my best. 

I amble 

Journey eclipses destination

Each moment unique

individual

worthy of attention

A keen eye catches details 

an open heart captures them

A search with no goal

A path with no end 

An idea with no expectations 

Relishing time that cannot be re-spent

Here

Now 

Out there I simply exist.

I laugh

Each second a gift 

I choose to elevate

not deteriorate 

A twinkle of the eye

more brilliant than the sun itself 

A crinkle of authenticity pulls reciprocation from strangers 

A beam of light 

shining 

heals the world one smiling face at a time 

Out there I am free.

I rest

Laying under the stars 

Mother Earth runs her fingers through my hair 

The sky winks

painting a picture of the millennia 

A story playing out before my eyes 

close enough to touch

yet infinitely far away 

A snapshot in time 

Pulse slows  

Out there I am at peace.

I dream

Smile playing on lips

as I imagine

infinite possibilities

wide open for those who chose 

Chose to defy

Chose to let go

Chose to be brave 

Anywhere 

Anything 

Forever searching for the next adventure 

Ambition revving

like the engine of an old truck

Heart racing at the mere thought 

of adventuring once more

Out there is where you will find me.

Dear Future Self,

Hey there. Remember me? It’s the beginning of a new year. You moved to California a few short months ago, and are learning the ins and outs of how beautifully cruel the world can be. You reapplied to college recently. I’m not too attached to where you end up this time around. I hope you’re proud of your choice. I believe it will all work out the way it is meant to.

When it feels like the walls are closing in around me, I think of you. I think of all of the incredible things I know you are out there doing. You inspire me each and every day to keep pushing forward.

I know you have grown, but I hope you didn’t lose sight of who you are. I hope you made the choices you wanted instead of the ones that were expected of you. I hope the only person you are obsessed with pleasing is yourself. I hope you defied cultural standards and carved your own path. I hope you never let anyone tell you how to feel. I hope you let yourself feel — deeply and fully. I hope you trust yourself and your ability to make the most informed decisions. I hope that in the dark moments you remember your strengths, and in the light you celebrate them.

“I hope that in the dark moments you remember your strengths, and in the light you celebrate them. “

Photograph of the author looking over over a sweeping view of the Western Connecticut foothills, celebrating her strength.

You have already come so far, and I can’t wait to see how far you go. You are my role model. While I believe no one can truly figure life out, I imagine that you are more confident in yourself and your choices. I picture you at ease in the world, at ease in your own skin, at ease with your thoughts. I dream of you smiling easily and laughing often and traveling the world.

I hope you adventure. I hope you meet like-minded people. I hope you are challenged by people with differing perspectives. I hope you surround yourself with people that lift you up. I hope you slow down and watch the sunset. I hope you wake up to be blessed by the sunrise. I hope you climb mountains. I hope you surf often. I hope you continue to push yourself. I hope you’ve been to Europe. I hope you try new and exciting things. I hope your days are filled with childlike wonder at the daily miracles of the world.

Photograph of the author looking up at a massive redwood in Northern California, filled with childlike wonder at the daily miracles of the world.

“I hope your days are filled with childlike wonder at the daily miracles of the world.”

There are so many things that I want you to have done and be doing and dream of doing, but I trust that you will grow and adapt and make the best decisions for yourself. I know that may mean that your dreams change, and I want you to know that I’m okay with that. As long as you are following your heart and chasing your joy, the possibilities are endless, and the dreams are limitless.

I hope you’ve grown, but I hope you remember me. I hope you explore your passions and chase what you love. I hope you learn something new every day. I hope you hold compassion in your heart for everyone you meet. I hope you give yourself grace. I hope you are proud of how far you’ve come. I hope you are open and loving and brilliant and glowing. I hope you cry and I hope you laugh, both with abandon. I hope you feel alive. I hope you let your experiences fuel you, but not define you.

“I hope you let your experiences fuel you, but not define you.”

Photograph from below of the author jumping off a graffitied cliff into a lake in Northern Maine.

I hope you are out there, doing what you love, making the most of every moment. And I hope you find peace along the way. I hope you made your dreams a reality. But most of all, more than anything else, I hope you are unapologetically yourself. 

With endless love from your biggest supporter,

You.

“Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there’s a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.”

~ Anonymous