The beauty of #Alaska changed me. I had never seen an old-growth forest or walked through a temperate #rainforest before. Standing among trees that had lived for centuries, surrounded by the biodiversity of so many plants, fungi, and animals, shifted something in me. I started noticing the natural world in a way I never had. And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with being alive in a way I hadn’t felt before.
For a long time, I thought purpose was something I had to find one day. Instead, I found it by paying attention: learning the names of trees and mosses and mushrooms; watching a bear scratch its back on a tree; or just sitting quietly and noticing Stellar Jays bullying smaller birds away from the feeders. I realized the woods are full of stories, and it’s up to us to slow down and notice them.
Paying attention became an act of gratitude. Curiosity became how I moved through life. Slowly and quietly, my mental health started to heal.
#Hiking changed what I notice.
When I was a kid, I felt embarrassed that I recognized more dumb corporate logos than the plants in my own backyard. That imbalance always bothered me. Now, when I walk in the woods, I greet familiar species like old friends. I now mostly use the Seek app to double check my IDs, and I’m usually right. And when I do find something new, it feels like meeting a new friend!
Some people collect souvenirs. I collect species.
