The Cliffs are alive.
They whisper, They sing.
They proclaim Their story,
And it howls in the wind.Continue reading “The Cliffs are Alive: A Poem”
Last Days of Summer
The air was hot and stale in the bus and so crowded with people I stood for the entirety of my journey. Muted French voices swirled in the atmosphere around me as their host’s bodies swayed to and fro with the curvatures of the road. I felt sick. With each twist and turn, it seemed as if the bus would tip onto two wheels and proceed to roll down the rocky cliffs and land with a splash in the blue sea below. The driver drove aggressively, honking and shaking his fist at the other vehicles inhabiting the road.Continue reading “Last Days of Summer”
Travel Blunders Got You Down?
The night before, I felt as though I was suffocating beneath a thick blanket of Northern Australian atmosphere. Sweat pooled without conviction beneath my corpse-still body, and moisture was so thick in my lungs, I thought black mold might be the ultimate cause of my suffocation. Continue reading “Travel Blunders Got You Down?”
67 Reasons to Cheers this Summer
I’d like to raise a toast.
A toast to summertime.
Cheers.
Cheers to the great outdoors. To sunshine kissed skin and freckles. To running through the rain without getting cold.Continue reading “67 Reasons to Cheers this Summer”
Australia Will Kill You: and other life lessons
Ever since I was very young I wanted to visit Australia. I’m not sure why, out of all the places in the world I became fascinated with this destination, though I suspect it had quite a bit to do with the wildlife. I love animals. I especially love wild, exotic, and strange animals. Australia is filled with wild, exotic, and strange animals.Continue reading “Australia Will Kill You: and other life lessons”
The Most Important Job in Wilderness Therapy: An Ode to Miss Tammy
Student at wilderness therapy program: “Does Miss Tammy own this company?”
Wilderness therapy instructor: “Why do you say that?”
Student: “Everyone’s always saying that she’s the most important person here.”
Instructor: “Well, that’s because she is.”
Wilderness therapy is the ultimate Hero’s Journey dance; a cyclical pattern of communication, efficiency, and passion. It is a process that is always brought full circle, whether it be in reality or by metaphor.Continue reading “The Most Important Job in Wilderness Therapy: An Ode to Miss Tammy”
Because I Took the Plunge
I was lying naked on a broad flat rock. My legs were sprawled out in front of me and my feet rested at the edge of the river. The water flowed steadily downstream inches from my toes.Continue reading “Because I Took the Plunge”
Summer Sun
It’s summer. Be independent. Be bold. Be beautiful.
Synchronized Fireflies: Journey to Healing, Part 3
The rock we sat on seemed to grow harder and harder as the sky around us grew darker and darker. The air was damp from a summer misting earlier in the day. The forest was quiet except for the swiftly running creek and the beat of my anxious heart full of expectation and wonder.Continue reading “Synchronized Fireflies: Journey to Healing, Part 3”
Synchronized Fireflies: Journey to Healing, Part 2
With a deep breath and wide eyes, I pulled my car into the line of minivans and mid-sized sedans packed with coolers, hot dogs, and the laughter of happy vacation spirits caravanning into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I look around my own car, feeling slightly out of place. Me in my compact car, water bottle and journal on the seat next to me, and nerves fully heightened.
It was June 2011. It was peak season for synchronizing fireflies at Great Smoky National Park. This time, I was going to see them…Continue reading “Synchronized Fireflies: Journey to Healing, Part 2”
Fireflies And Jars 