Our roving ways lead us to places far from home, often feeling more like entirely different worlds. Through our nomadic adventures, the only consistency we experience is the end of year celebrations in Texas. This season reconnects us to our roots and offers quality time with those we love. The winter holidays are simultaneously incredible and exhausting. We rush from home to home, family gathering to friend hangouts, attempting to catch up with everyone we can. Exchanging hugs and stories, our pasts collide with the efforts we make towards our future. Our relationships have nearly all become long-distance which often leads us to feel like we aren’t doing enough. Through each phase of life, I’ve tried my best to maintain a balance between my selfish endeavors and familial/friend responsibilities.
The youngest generation of our families slowly moved away and began lives of their own, including us. This chapter seems so focused on building rather than maintaining, although there is a necessity to maintain what we’re building. It’s a confusing mixture of taking and giving back. Caleb and I believe that, even beyond our close relationships, we have a calling to spread joy and love. During the holidays, that comes in the form of dedicated personal time. Beyond that month of excitement, it morphs into a connection with passing strangers who become friends. Our travels have brought amazing views and unforgettable scenery but they pale in comparison to the unique bond we share with other wild globetrotters.
After more than two decades of life, I find it amusing that only six months of that could feel so significant and memorable. Now I seem to relate everything to our thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. My friend Dandelion recently told me, “If it wasn’t constantly on my mind, I’d be worried.” That simple statement held so much truth and validity. In each Christmas gathering, I found myself circling back to stories of the trail. Sometimes guilt creeped in between my sentences, as if I should withhold or refrain for fear of boasting. Although, my true intention was the farthest thing from a brag. Talking about this experience with others was more like therapy. It was an outdoor addiction that I fed for 197 days straight and the come-down was a hard reality. Just when I thought I was fine, a bout of wistful thinking would overtake my mind and I was back in those woods.
As the new year began, I finally opened our certificates from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Upon our honor, we swore our truth and in return received a kind package to commemorate the 2,000 miles walked. Within was a small patch, a certificate of completion, and a letter from the ATC president. I know the letter was merely a copy paste sent to every other sworn thru-hiker, but its words sit with me even now. Specifically this one sentence: “You have accomplished something that many dream of, but few achieve.”
Caleb and I united for more than richer or poor, in sickness and in health. We agreed to pursue goals and challenges that exist in the far reaches of possibility. We choose to live in a way that exceeds unconventional and approaches unbelievable. As we enter whatever this next phase of adventure shall hold, I remain thankful for this season of rest and recovery. Without people that love us and time to revel in that love, it would be nearly impossible to maintain our momentum towards these aspirations.