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| Haines, Alaska |
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
Henry David Thoreau
Packing up my essential belongings, relieving myself of the excess, and embarking across the continent to Alaska is the type of life-choice I use to be jealous of. Jealous of others that seemed to have freed themselves from what is expected of young adults who complete the requirements of a collegiate program and begin their search for new meaning and direction. I cannot recall the exact moment when I too had successfully pulled off my escape, but as I find myself comfortably situated in Haines, Alaska after crossing 4000+ miles of North American prairie and mountain ranges, I can say with confidence that I got out. It would not have been even remotely achievable without the inspiration and encouragement of so many people in my life and I owe all of the thanks in the world to those individuals.
Thoreau expressed it in words as best as I have been able to find: life is meant to be lived, not watched. To think that opportunities will always be arranged perfect and clear is too risky of a gamble. It takes putting yourself out there, exploring the boundaries of your comfort-zone, because as someone has told me before, "if you don't get out and do it, someone else will and they'll get it." With just a single life for each one of us to live, we owe it to no one but ourselves to live it just as we desire. No more counting on that "next time," we have to live now. It goes by much faster than one can begin to anticipate. Living without regrets is not about reflecting on past decisions, but rather leading a life that is not regrettable. Have a story to tell where you are the character everyone is rooting for. With my own life, I have found that providing an inspiration to others in their search for greater passion and adventure in theirs; to help others in their escapes.
I look to use the space contained within this blog to provide a reflection and account of my experience. I pretend to have a concrete idea of what kind of content will collect here, but I have not even been able to predict where I will be or what I will be doing more than four months in advance. However there is some confidence that the majority of media that will appear will be of the impressive landscapes I seek to explore and the people I look forward to know around Southeast Alaska. Whether from the vantage of a body of water or high ridgeline, Alaska has already proven itself as quite the site to been seen. Because images can only convey so much, I will also include reflections that seek to provide a more clear representation of the feel for such an outstanding environment. The people, the ocean, the mountains; there is so much I have to learn about this place and I could not be more excited.
