Where the wind takes us
Something that will always deeply resonate with me is the chase. Chasing moments, chasing light, chasing… a feeling. For the past year my chariot for the chase was a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. It was my first SUV, the first nice vehicle I bought completely on my own, it was my initiation into the world of Overlanding and a vessel for countless memories. I mean, we went places!
From Salt Lake City to Monterey, California, down the coast through Big Sur to the Grand Canyon the Salt Flats Mesa Arizona and everywhere in between. But, recently I had to let it go. As the year unfolded life's tides pulled me farther from familiar shores. My stepfather’s struggle with cancer came to an end in February. Then, in May, a shift in the winds took me to the California sun-kissed coast to be closer to family. Where I now share a home and a life with my partner.
But as we've all heard when one door closes another opens. So, here we are… on the threshold of what's next and it all starts today!
Nikko and I are on our way to the airport to spend the night at my mom's house in Mesa, Arizona and pick up my new vehicle. Nikko decided to put my birthday in wrong [when he booked our flights] so we're at the Frontier counter to try and correct it. Then, he spelled his own name wrong… so he has to check his too!
Nikko and I make it through security and have time for a couple of drinks. I'm feeling really grateful in this moment that I have him so close now–especially on a trip that carries this much emotional weight. It's just nice to be able to laugh. We finally make it to our seats and Nikko cracks a joke about the kickstand thing I had recently bought from my phone, seeing is he has one too (sarcasm). This came after the joke that I had already cracked about the comically small table trays that come with our seats. I enjoyed a full episode of spooky stories brought to you by The No Sleep Podcast. Nikko enjoyed probably half an episode of Yellowstone.
By the time we're at elevation we've already begun our descent back down into Phoenix getting picked up by Mom makes me forget at this moment that I am in fact a 32-year-old man and not a little kid. We catch up on the drive to Mom's house as the beauty of Arizona unfurls before us.
As we pull into her neighborhood we see the remnants of the storm that had passed through here about a week ago. It tore off roofs, flipped over her AC unit, and knocked down trees. Pretty intense stuff. As the sun sets I lose myself in family time and forget all about the camera… I needed this.
We forgot to uh update the Vlog with what we were doing last night. We just sort of got carried away. With the Bronco loaded and a six-hour drive ahead of us there was only one thing left to do. An exchange of hugs, goodbyes, keys, and well wishes. With this Embrace I'm overwhelmed with a sense of love and simultaneously a wave of contrasting emotions engulfs me. David's absence casts a long shadow over my joy. But I know that this marks a transformative and transitionary moment for more than a few people in more than a few ways.
As I drive off, in the rearview mirror, I see more than a road behind me. I see a mosaic of memories, faces, and transformative moments. This year had its shadows and its light but each twist led me to this point. As one chapter ends and another begins I see a horizon full of opportunities I'm steering towards those new adventures if there's one thing I've learned from life's ebb and flow it's that we cannot control the current only how we navigate it. So as we set off I vow to honor David's memory by seizing the life he'd want for me the life he'd want for all of us. Ahead of me is a road full of moments worth capturing, stories worth telling, and feelings worth chasing. That's something that will always deeply resonate with me, the chase. Chasing moments. Chasing light. And occasionally, chasing a Feeling.