As the sun started to set on Saturday night, we were ending our hike along a trail that followed a stream through the canyon. The late afternoon air was still, and we gradually lost the layers of coats and sweatshirts we started with as we hopped over rocks and explored an area of the Hills that was literally in our own backyard.
And the smell of the evergreens was real. And the sound of the crickets chirping was real. And looking over at Ry as he looked completely peaceful and content was real.
The way my soul sang to be outside and under the blue sky … real.
And when we were done, we decided we didn’t want to be, and so for the very first time, I experienced the back roads in the Black Hills – with nowhere to be but just out having fun.
This image from google maps was us (did you know you can take a screen shot on your phone?) in the middle of nowhere. Me laughing and smiling like a fool as the pickup bumped along the back roads and the trees became thicker and worries from a really, really tough week began to fade away.
And the incredible freedom from obligations, schedules, bedtime routines, etc. carried us for quite awhile before we turned around and came home.
And I am not sure how something so simple as spending time with the one I love made me feel the way it did – but it did and it does.
And I find that I am more outdoorsy than I thought.
And grateful for simple things like falling off of the map with you know who.
THAT is how I begin to find myself again … In a place where no one else has a clue where I am.
The Val that likes simplicity loves being home.
XO.
3 comments