be happy to be yourself

Today while riding the bus from work to my parents house I observed a woman packing up her huge multi-day pack and another smaller lightweight backpack with all the gear she had acquired while in Alaska. The route I was on stops by the airport, which is predictably where she got off. I saw the tattered thermarest strapped onto her pack and multiple water bottles stuffed into its side pockets and realized I was feeling a twinge of jealousy. It would be so fun to be able to pack up what I needed to get by for a month or two and just leave on a trip. To go whereve I wanted to go and to do whatever I wanted to do.

But then I relaized that it would prbably get pretty lonely out there and I would probably end up wishing I had someone to share the adventure with. Which is why I'm actually not jealous afterall. I'm thankful to have the love and partnership I share with my husband, even if the logistics of having two jobs to get time off for and two people to pay for means we aren't really spontaneous, ever. But that's another reason I'm thankful to live in Alaska, where we can at least be spontaneous for the weekend and explore all of the amazing places that this state has to offer...