A Year of Following My Heart

I thought I needed to recognize today since it was the catalyst to everything that has happened since then.

A year ago today is kind of where it all started…I follwed my wandering heart and adventurous spirit to Denver to chase storms. It was difficult and I often looked back in the beginning. With all of the uncertainty and doubt, my feet still couldn’t help but move in a forward direction.

A year ago, I wasn’t a very happy person. I wasn’t a very good version of me. I was wasting my time here on earth. I loved to travel, but my fear of the unknown had held me back from exploring, from being bold, from doing things I had always wanted to do. Why was I so afraid???

My desire to see and do took over and became stronger than my fear. I was no longer paralyzed by the unknown. I wanted to start checking things off of my bucket list so at the end of this short little thing we call life, I wouldn’t regret not taking chances and not pursuing the things I wanted.

I threw caution to the wind, quite literally, and booked a tour to go storm chasing, something I had dreamed of doing since I was a little girl. It was thrilling. It was exciting. It was amazing. It was beautiful. It was humbling. It brought me to tears.

It also made me want to kick myself for not doing it sooner. I realized I had wasted so much time living in fear. I’m not saying I still don’t get scared by trying new things, meeting new people, etc…I just handle it differently. I recognize it and then move forward. I am a totally different person from who I was a year ago, and I couldn’t be happier.

I encourage who ever reads this to live in the moment, to travel and travel often, to embrace adventure and the unexpected, to greet obstacles with grace, to go after the things they want, and to be open to whatever life throws you.

Our time here is so short. Cherish every moment, even the bad ones. I’ve had some pretty intense blows over the last seven years, but they helped me grow. I am stronger. I know that I can weather through extremely dark moments and get to the other side while recognizing the silver lining that always seems to be there.

This next chapter is very uncertain at the moment. My heart wants to wander and yet travel is slowing down for a bit. I fly back to my hometown in a few days to pick my vehicle up and drive across the country again, so there’s that. I’m pretty determined to try and figure out how to make travel, photography, and writing my ‘work’ thing. I’ll see how van life goes, and maybe I’ll consider making modifications and live on the road for a bit, who knows. All I can say is that I’m open to whatever my life morphs into. I’m excited. I’m right where I’ve always wanted to be. I’m a pretty good version of me. I’m happy.