Opposites attract. Hence this homebody ended
up sharing his life with a wanderer. My better
half loves nothing more than being anyplace
but here. Fortunately his wanderlust has taken
us to places I never imagined existed. Offering
learning experiences for which I am more than
grateful. However getting from here to there is
never as easy as one may think. Especially if
one still has millions of places on their bucket
list. Deciding where and when is hard enough.
However making it happen can be a herculean
exercise in futility. One that ends up in a trip
to nowhere. A dead end. Or unplanned detour.
It's been said that "getting there is half the fun."
Yet one might argue that often the journey is
not worth the time nor effort. As a confirmed
curmudgeon, my preference is naturally to stay
put. Thus my first inclination is to savor and
appreciate all that we've got here in central
Montana. The fact is that many folks pay big
bucks to travel to Big Sky Country. Hence the
challenge for locals like me is seeing our trees
for our forests. Not a day passes that I don't
marvel at our vistas, mountains, and natural
beauty. Yet rarely do I order a chicken fried
steak. Nor appreciate how isolated we are.
We all want what we don't have. Hence most
city dwellers crave sylvan solitude. Whereas
we country folk year for fresh Uni. Oh... and
easy access to all that we don't have within
reach. And hence makes this place so special.
In the old days Bergdorf Goodman was at the
end of our block. Barneys just a few further.
Many of the world's greatest restaurants were
within walking distance. And yet every night
our greatest challenge was deciding where to
dine... and what to watch on Netflix. All of
which proves that even if one has everything,
we're inevitably blind to most if not all of it.
Our challenge is to revisit the here and now.
To see life from a different perspective. I've
no doubt that locals from those exotic places
we crave to visit are bored. Viewing what we
consider unique to be rote at best. No wonder
I've never visited the statue of liberty. Nor
the nearby petroglyphs considered to be the
best in North America. Thus rather than hit
the road all that we need maybe a slap up the
side of our heads. A local versus long distance
wake up call. Or should we just get up and go?
Maybe exploring some place new will enable
us to fully appreciate what we've already got.