An ordinary comeback

Hello, anyone out there? It’s been nearly four years since I have written and shared anything here. Every new year I have resolved to use this space to share projects, photos, and updates from my everyday life. But as time passed, and I continued to fall behind on this task, it felt like I needed to be doing cooler, more interesting things to justify my absence. Such as:

Sorry for being late, I have just been sooo busy training for an ultramarathon!

Or maybe something like:

Oops time slipped away from me while I was busy patenting my water bottle design that desalinizes ocean water!

Somehow, it felt like coming back here would be like reconnecting with a friend after a long break and not having any updates to share. The more time passed, the more I became hyper-aware of my productivity (or lack thereof). And the pressure just kept growing. I wanted to be able to curate some type of profound explanation of what I've been up to, filled with a list of my big accomplishments and achievements. I needed something to cast into the the ether to let everyone (my two readers) know that I have gone through immense physical, mental, and financial growth!!!! I have learned and perfected a bunch of new skills!!!! I am absolutely crushing it in my career!!!! I am achieving all my personal goals and more!!!! Life hasn't quite happened exactly like that, but I have been doing some things nonetheless! So, here is a very brief recap of the past four-ish years:

Finished my first fire lookout season and returned to the west coast, where I went on many slow, but satisfying human-powered adventures.

Traveled north of the 60th parallel for the first time since grad school, became reacquainted with the midnight sun, and experienced the shock of my first noontime sunset.

Rode my bike a lot, got my bike stolen, bought a new bike, recovered my stolen bike, and a variety of other bike-related mishaps.

Travelled to new places near and far and took many photos en route.

Made my return to smoke spotting, tower climbing, and forest frolics.

Learned a lot of new outdoor skills, earned some certifications, tried new activities, and made friends along the way.

In summary, I did a bunch of things, felt a bunch of feelings, and tried to learn from it all. One of those learnings has been how to adjust my expectations. I have been coming to terms with the idea that not everything is meant to be meticulously planned out in advance and executed to perfection. It is okay for things to go awry and to adjust along the way. It is okay to not be constantly creating, earning, or doing. It is okay to be rambly and incoherent. So, I'm back! Back with some photos and some musings and some new life learnings. I am excited to be here sharing these thoughts more freely and regularly. Stay tuned for more!