Embracing Life's Meaningful Moments

I’m in Baja Mexico & just had the pleasure of reminiscing running the Colorado River for 21 days with my beach neighbor who is a river runner & has done the Co 3x himself. It was a dead giveaway when he whipped out his 20 year old pack-raft to paddle the bay we’re at. We shared stories, pictures, a meal & then wifi as he & a few of our other neighbors gathered to watch the 🏈 game over starlink. Life is funny. The most meaningful moments of it will surprise you. & you cant be attached to labels or identities you wear for a time. I am often called a “bad ass,” rad, epic, so many labels I still feel like an imposter wearing as I try my hand at deepening knowledge & skills of activities, sports, & experiences that have captured my attention. Why? Because I’m a huge dork. I geek out over small things in nature & will drop everything I’m doing to listen to a stranger’s life story. I cherish spending time with people older than me because i know they’re wiser than me & I still have so much to learn, even as I’m nearing 40. I am afraid all the time of the things I do, but I face them anyways because the thing I’m most afraid of is dying with regrets. I have been blessed to have been adopted by so many friends who have shared experiences like the Co river with me. Taken me under their wing & said, “here, try this… see, you didn’t die,” & watched as their vote of confidence & invitation to join expanded my life in ways I’ll probably never be able to thank them fully for. Those friends, some I love as family, are the real bad asses, the epic legends, the cool as hell ones. The people in our lives doing the things & inviting newbie nerds like me to try it & share in the joy & learning. Don’t get caught up in the hype here. This is a place to share your story, what you learned, what you’re learning, what you’re unlearning, & to invite others to have the courage to do the same. I am not a bad ass, but I hope that in the end, they’ll say “she had a pure heart, made others feel good, & lived well” because that’s what’s going to count. No amount of metrics will ever measure the depth of a life well lived & loved.