"If I don't go on that boat, I know exactly what I'm coming home to. If I do, my future is unwritten."
Do we choose the security of x, or the unlimited potential of y? What causes us to say enough? What motivates us to stand up for a lifestyle that we can love?
These questions arise as Wonderland's horizon bursts forth with an awesome, vibrant energy and we walk the line between what we know we want and what we think we can manage.
As we travel through dilapidated remains of what once was -- a crumbling enterprise built on extraction -- the aspen trees (nature's gold) grow through the rotting floorboards, reclaiming their right to thrive in harmony with all other life.
These human endeavors were necessarily finite because they did not contribute to the wealth and vitality of the greater environment. The changing face of nature is eternal - ineffably sublime and mysterious.
We arrive in the beautiful Indian Peaks wilderness with the simple intention of being present, hiking to banks of a small river and hopping stones to take shelter between two large rocks at the cradle of the surrounding peaks. As light mist turns to freezing rain and snow dusts the craggy ridges, we begin to feel autumn's arrival.
With autumn comes inevitable change. Although this change can be understood as a death of what used to be, the vibrant colors in the trees, foliage and sky assure us that this is good and necessary.
Although the future is uncertain and shaky, we continue to make steps towards the world that we want.
We must first make a leap in order for a solution to appear.
"Don't think about the things you fear...
...just be glad to be here."
