Those Mountains

As I lay here, during what seems to be another sleepless night, listening to the howling wind and the hum of the air conditioner, I can't help but smile...and smile big. My trip to Utah was supposed to be a trip to help me escape the realities of a new world in which I was to embark to. A world of grown-up responsibility and a "real" job with bills and tasks to be accomplished. This trip was an opportunity to find myself and to break out of the shell that I had created and perfected for the people at home. This trip was about time for me, time to train, to have fun, and enjoy my last bit of freedom before the commencement of graduate school. It was to let loose and to enjoy time with old friends as well as new ones.

Wow, how this trip has changed me...and I believe all for the better. Not only did stepping outside my comfort zone break me, it bettered me. I learned to open up and show the world who I really am on the inside. A joking, laughable, loving, and silly human being. Something that has needed to be shown to the world for awhile now. How great it has been to let loose, to start over, and to create new relationships with people. I try not to fit in here, more than anything I want to stand out. To be a person that people look to for confidence and composure, and concentration.

I found that here, amongst the mountains, the trees and the breath taking landscape. I learned to trust my abilities and instincts. To be the person that I knew existed deep down inside. It feels great to let her out. I learned to make decisions for me and only me. This life is mine. I can't live it for anyone else but myself, so I might as well be happy, right?

I love the scenery, the atmosphere, and the people. I love the overwhelming number of bike trails and the "get outside" mentality. I love the mountains. The ones that I cannot help but stare at every day, as if they seem to be calling my name. I love how people have taken me in, made me part of their family and treated me as if one of their own.

This trip out west changed me for the better and helped me take a step in the forward direction, and I have no intention of ever looking back.