On a personal note, I’d like to write our Person of the Week article today on… myself, my partner, and his family. Today, we embark on a six million step journey to walk by foot from the Mexico-California border to the Washington-Canada border. This trail is called the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT.
Aside from my passion for writing, I’ve never been able to stray far from the outdoors – at least not for long. A typical year for me is working multiple jobs for anywhere from eight to eleven months and saving enough during that time frame to enjoy at least a month of outdoor travel. It is by no means a way to save up for a big future, it’s simply making it work to gain the passion and education I so deeply crave. My naivety may be frowned upon by many, but until I find a singular career path to bring me into a more fruitful line of sight, this hasn’t failed me. Not even once. This past year has been perfect proof – and quite different.
Failure is not something I believe in. Regrets are the worst thing you could ever hold in a life, if you ask me. Horrible things happen and many mistakes will be made in everyone’s lifetime, but without them there is no growth – and with growth comes happiness, education, and wisdom. This past year was not different due to failure or difficulty, it’s been different because I’ve fallen in love.
For so many years I’ve known nothing less than to hold myself to my own expectations, and I can’t speak to everyone’s perspective, but I usually find the hardest person on yourself is you. Working, traveling, and learning on my own was hard at first, turning into a comfortable feeling that was nourishing to the soul. As long as I continued to tell myself that I do not, in fact, know everything… and keeping caution as close as curiosity, my thirst for travel and adventure ran deeper than ever. As you could imagine, falling in love was something I struggled to allow.
With sacrifice and love becoming the new priorities, I continued to learn and adventure in a new way, and with a partner this time. Although proven challenging, we’ve made it work and flourish for twelve months this June. Out of the three cross-country trails this wonderful place has to offer, I always idolized the Continental Divide Trail. That may be a story for another time. My boyfriend, Ryan, has dreamt of completing the Pacific Crest Trail for years and he was determined to complete it before he turned 40 years old. With our newfound relationship, I felt it was appropriate to commit to accomplishing our dreams – and so we will.
Five to six months ahead of us spent solely outside… with a healthy routine of stretching, hiking, and more, I cannot think of anything more exciting. My blood runs thick with determination from my mother, adventure from her parents, optimism from my own father, and love from his parents. Maybe not my place to say just yet, but Ryan’s blood also seems to run thick with determination from his mother and optimism from his father. His mother completed an entire triathlon at age 50. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t think I’ll be that committed to the extremities by then. Purely admirable she is and clearly for a good cause.
Our Person of the Week articles are not only about the person, but all of you, and dreaming of goals that you will be able to tackle one day. Dr. Seuss was my favorite author growing up, and I’d like to change one of his most famous quotes to leave you with.
A dream is a dream, no matter how small.