How proximity to nature shifted everything

not just close but within

We have been officially on the road for almost two months now, and are just now really starting to feel the magic of nomad life.

You see, a life in motion isn’t for the faint of heart, no matter how majestic we content creators try to make it. Life on the road, especially in a big rig like the one we opted for, comes with its fair share of unique and character-refining challenges.

From the confined shared space, planning months in advance where you will be staying, triple-checking every highway route for possible detours, to secret costs and lopsided campgrounds that make your house just unlevel enough to leave you a bit uneasy, it is an active-as-can-be lifestyle. There is always something to be considered.

And the first month definitely felt that way.

We were constantly in awe that we were getting to do this, and also often wondering why something felt just smidge “off". Like the vision wasn’t quite meeting the reality, but not in a directly negative way, just a “hmmm, this is a lot of effort to still feel like we are sitting in traffic and spending money on random things all week like we did ‘back home’.”

There was a longing for the backcountry of Colorado and getting lost among its trails.

And then, we pulled into our first state park site of the trip.
Not a RV park in a tourist town, like we had been at, but instead a haven of nature protected and stewarded by nature lovers alike, and that is when it all finally clicked.

We pulled into our spot and just knew that we had found the magic.

We’ve been at Fall Creek Falls State Park for almost a week now, and we’ve left the park once.
The entire time we were out, we itched to get back.

Since arriving, each day has been inviting us to slow down, put our feet in the grass, and take a “casual” (or not-so-casual) hike in the afternoon.
That connection and calling from all that surrounds us has nourished the part of my soul that was wondering what this was all for.

Of course, I have decided to let this be a reminder that proximity to nature is as powerful as all the research says it is, and that that proximity is a privilege.
The stark difference in how it felt to be close to nature in Hot Springs, AR, to how it feels to be IN nature here in Tennessee is palpable and potent.

So, I let this reminding be an invitation to you, to
open a new browser,
look at your calendar,
pick some dates,
book a campsite or cabin,
pack the car,
and go get lost.

Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just accessible and with intention.

Let the quiet evening unravel you.
The laughter of families at play lighten you.
Let the exhaustion of adventure remind you that you are alive.

And then observe how you have been transformed on the other side.