Outside Wellness

A beautiful blast of cool mountain wind invades the cabin as I open the window. My lumbar spine is sore from sitting so long. I feel my stomach draping over the seatbelt from snacking all day. The hair dancing around my face tangles around itself in a big nest. Sometimes I wish we were just there already.

One year ago, I left sunny San Diego for the uncertainty of the Rocky Mountains. Before I left, people would ask me, why? They assumed I got a “big-girl” job or fell in love with a cowboy, but I assured them that this was an adventure—full of possibility, beauty, and uncertainty.

Embracing this unknown, I pursued my dream of living in Bozeman, a dream that little Emma had when she was nine—for she knew far more about life than I do now. And it was around this same time when Bernard (then age 11) moved to Bozeman from the Philippines. With faith, I decided to follow Emmy’s heart, rather than this overactive and unsettled adult mind.

This heart led me to Bozeman, where I soon met B. It led us back to California to entwine our lives under the rock giants of Joshua Tree. It led us to the Philippines to connect with family and explore the languages and culture my children will know as their own. And it led us back to the land of the big sky and the mountains that touch it.

We’ve traveled to many amazing places, and I’ve learned so much, but the teachers have not been our destinations. They have been the long stretches of desert highway, the vulnerable conversations with friends, the chaotic lines at National Parks, the gear stuck on multi-pitch climbs, the rain, the extended time with in-laws, and the unknown adventure of each day that teaches me to accept and embrace who I am, and love daringly all the beings that surround me.

All the time we can find wild places and unparalleled adventure within. And it is possible to do this without traveling far. So it’s time that I stay put for a little while, grow some roots, and let these winds tangle my hair where I stand. I am already here.

–E