June 5 , 2016 – Hungry Horse, Montana

Traveling always seems to bring me down.

Not in a bad way, but more like a “I wish I could afford to do this all the time” way. I recently returned from Seattle, where I visited an old friend and also watched Moderat put on one of the greatest shows I’ve ever witnessed. I guess some recent family drama also weighs in to my present psychological state, but that’s nearly a constant in my life.

However, the new arrival has helped in relieving said psychological stress. Miri (Miriam) and I seem to have quite a number of things in common: we share a passion for adventure, a bit of a troubled background/family history, interest in music, and a strong desire to learn, grow, and foster change in the world. Not only do we work together on the farm nearly every day, but we’ve also hiked Huckleberry Mountain in Glacier, gone canoeing with our hosts in Lion Lake, and just returned from a rafting trip in the Flathead River.

Is this real life?

I can’t help but feel some attraction in the air. This girl is quite a bit younger than I am, yet it seems that such an age gap is becoming less relevant in relation to this lifestyle. As I travel, I’m continually placed in environments in which the people I interact with are mostly either young and free or older and settled down. Miri in particular also seems quite a bit more mature than most – certainly more than I was at her age.

Which makes me wonder: is modern technology and society making younger people more mature, or is it that this lifestyle makes me feel that much younger?

“Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.” – Bo Bennett