“Lonely, ain't it? Yes, but my lonely is mine. Now your lonely is somebody else's. Made by somebody else and handed to you. Ain't that something? A secondhand lonely.” --- Toni Morrison, Sula I was sitting on my sister's couch when I found the picture of Jupiter. This picture of Jupiter. I don't remember where …
Nebraska
You are driving through Nebraska. Nebraska has always been a drive-through state for you, a large expanse of field and sky, a doormat to the mountains, to your destination. You have no vivid memories of driving through it the other three times prior, only the vague smoke of anticipation, of wanting to be somewhere else. …
End of an Era
I remember Eastern Mountain Sports, EMS, back when it was at Martketplace Mall. My dad and sister went to gear up for their upcoming Adirondacks trip and I, the youngster, stomped up and down the small incline used to test out shoes. My first backpack was from there. I purchased it in fourth grade, a …
To Joanna
The start of this story is really the ending. Here's how it begins and ends: I was at the end of my road trip. Three months spent driving around the States, sleeping in the back of my car, hiking up mountains, dunking my head in wild rivers. This was the falling action of the story, …
Goodbye for Now
You get into your car and drive. Mile after mile. Left turn then a right. You feel the tension pulling you backward, a slow, forceful tug telling you to turn around, to gobble up your goodbyes, to stay. Part of you wants to stay. Staying is easy. Staying is safe. But a storm recently took …
Three Moments (Part II)
One I am sitting at the check-in desk waiting for weekend arrivals. It is early in the fall season, and I'm still adjusting to the shift. Cabins in place of tents, refrigerators in place of bear canisters, paperwork and formalities in place of primal summer wildness. I am sad to see summer go. Even …
10 Books That Changed My Life (And Maybe They’ll Change Yours)
When people ask what my hobbies are, only two ever surface: books and the outdoors. Every facet about books. Every nook and cranny about being outside. Reading is the most steadfast companion of my life. It is a passion I enjoy both publicly and privately. Some books I love to discuss with friends, sharing favorite …
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Thank You
"Strawberries first shaped my view of a world full of gifts simply scattered at your feet. A gift comes to you through no action of your own, free, having moved toward you without your beckoning. It is not a reward; you cannot earn it, or call it to you, or even deserve it. And yet …
To Will
He sat across from me on the bus. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he drew shapes onto a blank piece of paper. Here, he turned to me suddenly. You try. I shook my head. I’m good. He continued drawing. There’s no right or wrong, he said, still doodling with aimless …
summer
"Travel and tell no one, live a true love story and tell no one, live happily and tell no one, people ruin beautiful things." --Khalil Gibran Summer is over. There are days of sweet sunlight still ahead and a wedge of time before school, but for you the summer is over. The swell of adventure …
People in Parks 