Food for Thought

Over the course of my travels, I have realized that I have many homes. I am lucky that these homes are never truly a physical space but rather lie within the presence of the people I care most about. I am lucky to be so in love with all of my friends that when I am with them I am truly safe, at peace and at ease.

August 4-8, 2016

In Salt Lake City, I was surrounded by women who have challenged me physically and spiritually and with whom I have stood hand in hand when I was challenged emotionally and mentally. When we climbed rocks, our laughter reverberated off the cliff sides as the air filled with ridiculous jokes and nonsensical hysteria. A bottle of red wine kept us company at the crag, setting the tone for evening to come. We lost the trail on the way back to the car - meandering while keeping in very high spirits. A concoction of backpacking food was put together for our dinner and we were instantly brought back to our days in Iceland where we sat huddled around Kelly's stove, eagerly awaiting our warm drinks and food. We laid beneath shooting stars with the Uintas Mountains looming, recounting past memories and catching up with each other's lives. We fell asleep in each other's arms besides the campfire, despite the chill in the air and our perfectly erected tents waiting to receive us nearby.

We were slow to mobilize the next morning. It took the thundering of an impending storm to set the team into motion - breaking down the tents, packing up the cooking supplies, collecting all of our things and loading up the car. Kelly's car, fondly referred to as Tercey, groaned beneath the weight of five people, five sets of climbing gear and five sets of camping gear. The last model of this Toyota was produced in 1999, so you can make your own guesses as to how old the car is. Cramped in a compact car between packs that did not make the cut for the trunk, all kinds of shoes, books and nalgenes, we had to continually shift to avoid losing circulation to various body parts, but none of us would have wanted to have it any other way. Gradually the hours passed and eventually separated us as we all dispersed to our next destinations.

To never really saying goodbye, LP.

August 19-21, 2016

In Louisville, I was surrounded by the women who helped guide me to become who I am today. Over the course of Jessica's wedding, the sisters of Sigma Delta eventually aggregated to occupy the same table on the rooftop of Copper Kings. Though I sat amongst them, I watched them like a fly on the wall - their radiance emanating and blowing me away with every smile, wink, story and giggle. From these women I found my strength and my center. From these women I learned to be vulnerable. From these women I learned to be honest. And while I watched them shine as they melted back into familiar hugs, jokes and memories, I felt a familiar feeling of overcome me. It was a feeling I have had for many important subsets of people in my life in which I realize that I may never be able to truly show each and every one of them how much they all mean to me. When this feeling overcomes me, I am struck with both joy and regret. Regret that it would be impossible to really prove my gratitude to all of them but joy because...this is actually a good problem to have. My heart wells and swells because I have more gratitude for the people in my life than I know what to do with.

It was here that I remembered a fun fact that Jacquie brought up during our trip. She mentioned that she may begin chewing gum while lead climbing because there are studies that show that the human mind makes one feel safe when the person is eating. If safety can be attained through the consumption of food, then this easily explains why relationships are strengthened and families are created when meals are shared together at a table. Though common interests can be a strong foundation for friendships, through the food we eat we can have safety, family and ultimately, happiness.

To all the future meals we will have and the future families we will create.